“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” — James 1:19
A lot of negotiators, speechmakers, and delegates seem to like the sound of their own voice. When an issue comes up for debate at a forum, council, school board, or policy meeting, they speak first, long, and loud.
The strategy of speaking first can fail for several reasons.
First, the audience or decision makers are typically just getting settled in and the key points of the controversy have not even been identified.
Second, those in attendance are either preparing their own speaking notes or still discerning their own goals.
Third, the longer your adversary speaks—as you use your active listening skills—the more ammunition you have to use their own words against them.
Fourth, as the debate progresses, the specific points of those who spoke early are long forgotten.
Finally, those who choose to speak last have a chance to take notes, think through their response, and effectively summarize the entire meeting. But here’s the sneaky part. They’re not shooting down arguments. They invest the first part of their platform time agreeing with all the points that seemed to hit the mark with the decision makers. Then with just a little spin, they can clearly state why their proposal is the best-case scenario for meeting the needs of everyone in attendance.
Speaking last arms you with the most recent information from the widest range of sources.
It’s like putting in the last piece of puzzle.
Science also supports the benefits in setting yourself up to be one of the final speakers. The “recency effect” is a popular theory in cognitive psychology, suggesting that when presented with a list of options or ideas, individuals are most likely to recall whatever they heard last.
All this assumes—of course—that your position is well-thought-out and provides the best strategy for meeting the needs of everyone in the room. You wouldn’t have it any other way, right?
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