An awkward silence or awkward pause is an uncomfortable pause in a conversation or presentation. The unpleasant nature of such
silence
Silence is the absence of ambient hearing, audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low sound intensity, intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be exten ...
s is associated with feelings of
anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...
as the participants feel pressure to speak but are unsure of what to say next.
In conversation, average pause length varies by language, culture and context. An awkward silence may occur if a pause has exceeded, for instance, a length generally accepted for demarcating a subject change or the end of a turn. It may be preceded by an ill-considered remark or an imbalance in which one of the participants makes minimal responses. Alternatively, the tension may arise from an expectation that speech is expected in the setting, such as a classroom or presentation.
When Europeans communicate with
Japanese people
are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago. Japanese people constitute 97.4% of the population of the country of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 125 million people are of Japanese descent, making them list of contempora ...
, a period of meaningful silence is sometimes misinterpreted as an awkward silence. Awkward silences may occur when Japanese people are confronted with a direct question as the
loss of face when making an unwelcome admission tends to make them reluctant to say phrases like "I don't know".
Remediation
Awkward silences may result from a faltering conversation in which the participants have completed what they wanted to say. To avoid such a conclusion, it has been recommended that the participants actively close the conversation by summarising what was said and thanking the others for their contributions.
When prolonged conversation is expected, people may be put at ease and conversation facilitated by contriving topics. In a social setting where people are meeting for the first time, the organiser of the gathering may propose an
icebreaker or
conversation opener such as a round of introductions. Conversation pieces, such as novel trinkets or artworks, may be used to stimulate continued conversation. In an online setting or
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...
, an automated agent may be used to monitor and stimulate flagging conversation by suggesting topics.
In art and literature
In the film ''
Pulp Fiction'', Mia and Vincent discuss uncomfortable silences after a pause in their conversation at Jackrabbit Slim's:
''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' features a
running gag of an awkward pause between
Craig Ferguson and guests.
See also
*
Social skills
A social skill is any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others where social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning these skills is called socia ...
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Awkward Silence
Oral communication
Social psychology
Silence