The Silent Treatment
Listen To The Following Reading
Omar and his coworker Lena had a disagreement over a shared project. Lena thought Omar hadn’t done his part, while Omar felt she was micromanaging. After the meeting, Omar stopped talking to her altogether. Days went by with cold nods and short replies. The tension was obvious to everyone in the office.
That Thursday, Omar told a friend during lunch,
“I needed a break before saying something I’d regret. I decided to keep my distance for a while and cool off. Every time she talks to me, I can feel my temper boiling over. I just need space to get my head straight before I deal with her again.”
Meanwhile, Lena sat in her car after work, replaying their argument. She sighed and said to herself,
“He’s giving me the cold shoulder, and I don’t even know what I did that was so wrong. I tried to smooth things over, but he just walked away. Maybe I should’ve backed off sooner, but I was only trying to keep things on track. Now it feels like we’re strangers working in the same room.”
Discussion Prompts
Explain what Omar was feeling during the silence.
What did Omar mean when he said:
keep my distance
cool off
boiling over
get my head straight
Explain what Lena was feeling after trying to talk to him.
What did Lena mean when she said:
giving me the cold shoulder
smooth things over
backed off
keep things on track
What do their words suggest about how people handle conflict and silence differently in the workplace?
