Yesterday I spent the morning with the rather fabulous Finn Communications team in Leeds. Finn is Leeds' best and coolest marketing agency. Check out the website to see what they've done for brands like Jason's Sourdough, Taylors of Harrogate and Tena, just to name a few.

I was with them to run a Leader as Coach workshop for their senior team. They are smart as hell. And super creative -- as you'd expect (see above).

When I run this workshop, I teach people some basic techniques borrowed from coaching that can be applied in everyday leadership and management. I'm really proud of it and I love to do it. It always gets loads of interaction.

Yesterday was no exception, but what I noticed was that every team I run it with has a different favourite technique. In the case of Finn Comms, that was the use of silence.

Specifically, what I demonstrated was that if you leave a bit of silence after someone stops speaking, they often keep going. And what they say after the pause is often more considered and interesting than what they said before the pause.

This appealed to the Finn Comms team because they move incredibly fast, so leaving a simple pause was a genuine intervention.

So, why don't you try that today? Next time you are having a conversation with a colleague, ask them a nice open question. When they've answered, say nothing and see what the do.

Let me know how you get on, Stephen

PS If your team could benefit from this type of training, hit reply and I'll send you the details.