Final answer:
Effective tactics to avoid dead silence in a discussion include reading body language to gauge participation, using collaborative strategies such as rotating brainstorming sessions, employing interactive engagement methods like polls and group discussions, and actively participating by asking clarifying questions and offering suggestions.
Step-by-step explanation:
To avoid dead silence during a discussion, especially when researching an issue or accessing a client system, it's crucial to apply effective conversational and research tactics. One such tactic includes the ability to read body language; this helps to infer when participants are engaged or when the conversation needs to be steered in a more interesting direction. Using visual cues can guide the flow of discussion.
Another strategy involves collaborative methods like brainstorming on a shared document that can continuously drive the conversation. Rotating sheets every 10 minutes within a group allows continuous engagement and input from all members on the given topics. This technique ensures that everyone's ideas contribute to the discussion.
Additionally, having a variety of engagement techniques such as live polls and small group discussions helps maintain active participation. These methods keep the interaction dynamic and prevent long pauses. Lastly, it's useful to participate actively by asking questions for clarification and offering ideas, which demonstrates interest and promotes a collaborative atmosphere.