Einstein showed that time is not absolute, and that time varies depending upon how fast you are moving. But—obsessed as he was with science—the great man narrowly missed discovering a scientific principle that can have a much greater impact on your life, especially at work. It is:
When you are talking, time moves faster than when you are listening.
Ask any speaker how long it feels like to deliver an hour-long presentation. The answer: about 17 minutes.
You have, no doubt, experienced the opposite effect. Think of your boss or CEO going on and on about leadership blah blah blah integrity blab blah blah and those wonderful things his high-school coach said. Endless, right?
Once you understand this principle, there is only one logical course of action. The next time you speak:
Stop talking before people stop listening.