The mouth speaks what the heart is full of
Have you ever been in a meeting and felt that you need to speak up, not necessarily because you have anything to add, but because everybody has already spoken, so you need to speak up too? It used to be that I was quite happy to sit quietly in a corner, and just happily digest what everyone else is saying. But over the years, one realises that speaking up can be important. We have a responsibility to others to point out when things are not right, or to support someone whose cause important. Speaking up is also a useful way to get due credit for the work done, not just by yourself, but also the team you represent. But there is definitely such a thing as unhelpful speaking up too. Unhelpful speaking up takes place when we just like the sound of our own voices, and want to emphasise our own importance to the group. It takes place when we say something just to get "participation points" rather than actually add anything useful. It takes place when we are criticised o...