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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

before you say nothing

English answer:

multiple interpretations

Added to glossary by eng_to_cz
Jun 22, 2014 11:50
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

before you say nothing

English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
"Think Twice Before You Say Nothing." Would you be so kind and explain what this saying actually means? "Think twice" is clear to me but I am not really sure how to interpret the "before you say nothing" part of the sentence. Thank you.

"We interviewed and assessed thousands of job candidates for our clients. In full sight, Hermon had an interesting plaque on his desk that said, “Think Twice Before You Say Nothing.” You could see just about every interviewee pause as they pondered this instructive yet enigmatic message."

Reference:
http://info.hoganassessments.com/blog/bid/109209/Think-Twice...
Responses
4 +3 multiple interpretations
4 +1 consider the question carefully in order to make the best response
2 +3 it may not mean anything
4 reconsider whether you should be listening rather than talking
3 before you say anything trivial
2 think before you speak
Change log

Jun 22, 2014 16:51: Terry Richards changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (3): BrigitteHilgner, Yvonne Gallagher, Terry Richards

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Discussion

Thayenga Jun 23, 2014:
Saying nothing In this setting, as Tina stated, it could be taken as a sign of incompetence when someone says nothing in reply to a question or statement. So it does mean what it says: think about it before you fail to answer, e. g. even a simple "I'm not sure" is better than saying nothing at all.
Helena Chavarria Jun 22, 2014:
If you make a few changes it's even more complicated! 'I thought twice before I did nothing'.

In this case I thought twice and then did nothing!
Jonathan MacKerron Jun 22, 2014:
It's deeper meaning is perhaps a moot point. I would translate it word-for-word and leave it at that.
Helena Chavarria Jun 22, 2014:
Think twice before you say nothing (of interest). It is better to think hard and say SOMETHING (of interest), instead of answering for the sake of speaking. There are a lot of people around who never stop talking but they don't actually SAY (provide information about) anything!
eng_to_cz (asker) Jun 22, 2014:
Tina, I agree. That's the way I would interpret it. So, after all, the meaning is quite literal, isn't it? When you're at an interview and get asked a difficult question, the worst thing you can possibly do is not give any answer at all. So, it's always better to answer somehow than remain silent.. That's the way I see it.

However, I'm not a native speaker so I'd welcome any other suggestions. And many thanks to all of you who have provided answers and have participated in the discussion.
Tina Vonhof (X) Jun 22, 2014:
I think it means exactly what it seems to say. In a job interview it's not a good thing to have nothing to say in answer to a question - you have to prepare yourself for all kinds of questions. Even if you have if you have little knowledge or experience in something, you could tell them what you do know and say, "I would like to have an opportunity to learn more in this field" or something to that effect.
Veronika McLaren Jun 22, 2014:
Enigmatic the expression certainly is. Nothing = a lot of empty words or nothing in the sense of "no reply" (deliberate silence) or admitting that one does not have much to say on a topic.
BrigitteHilgner Jun 22, 2014:
Highly ambiguous If you say nothing because you want to avoid saying the wrong thing (e.g. disagree with something the other person said) you might give the wrong impression (e.g. a sycophantic person). This is just one idea - missdutch & Jonathan MacKerron suggested others.
Jonathan MacKerron Jun 22, 2014:
A bit of googling shows this saying to be wide open to interpretation. Probably only makes sense in the particular context it is being used.
In this instance the implied meaning is perhaps "better to say nothing than something irrelevant or stupid".
P.L.F. Persio Jun 22, 2014:
I'm not an English-native speaker, but, from what I understand, this sentence means: "Think hard about what to say, and then keep your mouth shut." This is in contrast to what the author writes above, about people dodging questions elegantly being liked better, or even trusted more, than those who answer earnestly but awkwardly.
Southern gentleman Hermon, a very bright and wise man according to the author, was apparently looking for the real deal, instead of an "artful dodger."
This reminds me of the saying: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."

Responses

+3
7 hrs
Selected

multiple interpretations

The range of considered replies shows that the phrase is indeed enigmatic and is open to several interpretations (with thanks to answerers):

1) don't say anything trivial - don't talk for the sake of talking
2) think before you speak - give a carefully considered answer
3) don't consider the idea of remaining silent when asked a question

I think Terry's explanation is relevant, but I don't agree that it doesn't mean anything. I think it means a lot, multiple meanings, and aims either to rattle the interviewee or make them consider their answers very carefully.
Peer comment(s):
agree Shera Lyn Parpia
1 day 9 hrs
Thanks, Shera!
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : You're sitting on the fence here Martin:-) Which is it? Yes, I believe it DOES mean something (make interviewee give carefully considered answer as I've said) and not just there to rattle the interviewee
2 days 14 hrs
Ha! I think I'm sitting just where Mr. Hermon wanted people to sit!
agree katsy : Don't agree that you're sitting on the fence. Agree with multiple interpretations, and that is what (no doubt deliberately?) could make the interviewees nervous - or react in one of various appropriate ways :-)
2 days 15 hrs
Thanks, Katsy. That's how I see it too.
agree B D Finch
2 days 19 hrs
Thanks, BD!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, Martin!"
24 mins

think before you speak

Don't talk for the sake of talking, try to say something intelligent and relevant.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 38 mins (2014-06-22 12:29:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or perhaps a variation of "sometimes it's better to say nothing at all".
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

consider the question carefully in order to make the best response

in other words,

set brain in motion before opening mouth

I agree with Miss Dutch that it is better to say nothing rather than something stupid in general but here I think Tina is right. When preparing for an interview one must prepare to answer ALL potential questions and a "yes" or No" response is not adequate.

So, consider the question asked, think about what response they are looking for, (because there are always "expected" or "desired" responses) and then consider the best answer you can give before speaking.
Yes, admit you don't have much experience or whatever YET but "look forward to having the opportunity to learn/develop..." blah blah and always show yourself in the best light possible.

In other words, respond with intelligent waffle/padding that shows why you are the perfect candidate, intelligent, ambitious and willing to learn and able to communicate!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2014-06-22 16:21:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So, yes, it's best to make a response (answer the question), but think twice about what you are going to say...

The usual rule for interviews is

make a negative into a positive...



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2014-06-22 16:26:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/to...

http://www.sigmarrecruitment.com/interview-tips6.html
http://www.sigmarrecruitment.com/interview-tips7.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2014-06-22 16:31:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

from last link

"Bear in mind that what they want to hear is more important than what you may want to say..."

Peer comment(s):
agree Rachel Fell : Think so - not that enigmatic really and wouldn't want that interview
3 days 10 hrs
Many thanks Rachel.:-)
Something went wrong...
+3
4 hrs

it may not mean anything

Have you considered the possibility that it doesn't really mean anything? It may just be there to make the applicants think or to make them uneasy.

When I was a young apprentice, one of my training officers had a similar sign on his desk that said "Department of Thaumaturgy" and, knowing what an obnoxious person he was, he was hoping you wouldn't know what it meant and would therefore be uneasy. It worked quite well - once! After that experience, I looked it up :)
Note from asker:
To be honest, I haven't considered such a possibility. Very funny story, though:-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Veronika McLaren : A conversation starter, perhaps...
2 hrs
agree Agneta Pallinder : Also, because the sentence doesn't follow the grammatically expected pattern, which would have been "think twice before you say anything", it gets noticed and thought about, whereas the straight statement would just have been a platitude.
3 hrs
agree AllegroTrans : I have known countless people who have "conversation starter" notices near their desks - "nil illegitimum carborundum" was very popular in the 1970s
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

before you say anything trivial

Maybe "nothing" in this case is used to mean "a lot of talk but of very little account or interest", therefore "trivial"... this is my interpretation
Something went wrong...
9 hrs

reconsider whether you should be listening rather than talking

In the context ...
We listen only as much as we think we need in order to make a response, instead of listening to learn.
Think again, think twice, then you may understand that you do not, yet, have anything to say.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2014-06-22 21:48:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And, now that I have thought twice, and read the reference blog article, it means "you should be aware of the negative impression you will make if you have nothing to say" :D
Something went wrong...
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