There is an old saying ,“Silence is content”. However, when a statement is make and silence is the only respond you get, it can have several meanings:
1. The person is reflecting on what you said.
2. The person agrees on what you said and thinks that no respond is necessary.
3. The person is not listening but is nodding with his mind in neutral.
4. The person is confuse.
5. The person is too furious to speak.
6. The person is in a state of shock.
7. The person is too powerless to respond.
8. The person does not want to appear ignorant by asking for clarification.
Now we can see that making a statement in a meeting that is greeted with silence can mean total opposition or total agreement.Thus, as a talker, it is always better to probe for meaning of the silence behind each listener.One can confirm what others' silence mean by reading further body language or approach them for confirmation.