Jerome & Julienne Discuss What We Choose Not to Say

“You have many choices you can make, and one of them is what you choose not to say—and how engaging that can be.”
— Jerome Deroy

Overview

What can we learn from what someone doesn’t say?

In this debrief of our conversation with Logan Yonavjak, Jerome Deroy and Julienne B. Ryan explore the power of noticing what is absent from a conversation: the pauses, hesitations, avoided subjects, gestures, and even changes in breathing that can reveal something words don’t.

Sometimes those omissions point to a blind spot—something we haven’t yet recognized about ourselves. But once we become aware of them, what we leave unsaid can also become a deliberate communication choice.

Jerome and Julienne discuss how pauses, breath, body language, and carefully chosen omissions can make storytelling more engaging by giving an audience room to participate and fill in the blanks.

In a world of oversharing, effective communication isn’t always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about knowing what to leave out.

You’ll Hear

– Why listening for what’s not being said can reveal blind spots
– What Julienne learned about pauses and hesitation from her experience in recruiting and reference checking
– How body language, facial expressions, gestures, and breathing communicate beyond words
– The difference between unconsciously avoiding something and intentionally choosing not to say it
– Why a well-placed pause can cause an audience to lean in
– How leaving space allows listeners to fill in the blanks and participate in a story
– Why storytelling requires curation rather than simply sharing everything
– How “less is more” applies to leadership communication
– Why breath and silence are powerful tools when presenting
– A simple invitation to become more mindful of what you say—and what you don’t

Resources

Related Episode: Listen to the full conversation with Logan Yonavjak or watch the interview on YouTube, for more on leadership readiness, high-pressure environments, and what we can discover by paying attention to what’s not being said.