Attention readily follows a quick answer and a forceful presentation. Both can be valuable. Yet certainty of delivery is not the same as certainty of knowledge.
I think expertise is also worth listening for in how someone distinguishes information from assumptions and notices the important question.
What lies behind confidence?
Imagine two answers to the same problem. One person proposes a solution immediately. Another first asks about missing information and defines what can be said from the available evidence.
Either may be right. Delivery alone does not determine which answer helps more. Content, reasoning and the requirements of the task matter too.
Reflection is not automatically hesitation. It can be precision.
Different ways to contribute
Shared discussion benefits when influence does not depend solely on speed. Questions in advance, an unhurried round of contributions or time to write can reveal thoughts that might otherwise remain unspoken.
Silence need not be idealised, nor expressiveness treated with suspicion. People communicate expertise differently. What matters is allowing the content to be assessed.
I think confidence can also be visible in the ability to state precisely what is not yet known. That kind of calm clarity deserves to be heard.
