Table 1.

Existing Research on Silence

Type of silence	Clinician's intention
Awkward	Often without clear intention (uncertainty), but also may reflect distractedness or hostility, often masked by the clinician.
Invitational	Wanting to give the patient a moment (or longer) to think about or feel what is happening, often after an empathic response.
Compassionate	Recognizing a spontaneous moment (or longer) of silence that has emerged in the conversation, often when the clinician and patient share a feeling or the clinician is actively generating a sense of compassion for the patient.