Silence is more than fine as long as silence is in fact your intention and your body language is comfortable with it. It’s not the silence that’s awkward, it’s the awkward body language that almost always accompanies it. Some of the best salespersons, leaders, thinkers, orators, and politicians have used silence quite well as a tool, and to great effect.

So now that you consciously know silence is okay and can sometimes be a good thing, allow your body to act according to this belief. Your subconscious body language will be much more agreeable.

Your tendency to plan well is a great asset (as long as you believe it is). It’s only going to take a few situations where your questions and recommendations will make all the difference. Once people catch on, advancement won’t be far behind. That said, do make sure you’re applying the same standard of inquiry to your ideas as well as those of your colleagues. The last thing you want in a work environment is to project the image of Mr. Know-It-All, who’s there simply to derail someone else’s thoughts.