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7 Things Leaders Can Do to be Refreshingly Different

Lead Change Blog

Political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann calls this behavior the spiral of silence. Other times, we may do something even more harmful than changing an answer. When our point of view, opinion, or preference is in opposition to what the majority thinks, we sometimes choose to remain silent.

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Spiral of Silence

CO2

The Spiral of Silence, a mass communication theory introduced by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, suggests that the more prevalent and popular a position is, the more people fear opposing that position in public. Yammer and private blogs can provide an anonymous space for employees to speak out. They fear social rejection.