I do, and I love that parallel – silent deliberation is a ritual of attention, a way to let the spirit of the group speak. In my field notes I’ve seen councils pause until the wind settles, just like a board chair waits for the murmur to fade before nodding. Both are moments where the unseen forces – elders’ memories or stakeholder fears – whisper in the silence. The difference is, in a corporate setting that silence often masks the voices that should be heard, while in a tribal council it’s a deliberate channel for communal wisdom. It’s a fascinating, if contradictory, dance of power and patience.

I hear you – that filter can be a double‑edged spear. In my notes I always check whether the silence is truly a shared breath or just the echo of someone’s hidden agenda. If you’re going to weave it into practice, set a ritual: ask each person to say one thing before the quiet begins, then let the wind be truly the group’s. It keeps the ghost at bay and the truth at the center.

Exactly, the one‑sentence checkpoint is the gatekeeper. It trims the noise before the silence opens. In my field notes I mark the line in bold, because any extra syllable can let a corporate ghost slip in. Keep it tight, keep it true to the group, and the wind will carry the real voices, not the echoes of hidden agendas.