Buddha quote

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace." ~Buddha
taken from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html

One of the things I LOVE about buddhism is it's emphasis on minding your words. You are taught to not say hurtful things and also not to have idle words. I'm sure most of you have worked with someone who talks just to talk and fill silence. I don't understand why silence is so uncomfortable for so many people. Is it just the way we are brought up in today's society with TV's and radios blaring all the time that we need to have some sort of audio stimulation every waking moment?
I enjoy meaningful, thoughtful conversation, but to just prattle on with small talk to me is like scraping nails on a chalkboard and will usually refuse to do it (just ask my wife how difficult it can be to make me participate in a conversation if i don't feel inclined).
What I really struggle with is how to politely ask people to be quiet and choose their words before they speak. I have a co-worker who MUST talk all the time. We joke that in order for her to exhale properly she must be gossiping about someone. And since I've adopted buddhism i've tried to think of a way to tell her that she could find peace if she just quieted her mouth and listened to the world and others for a few moments (that's not even touching on the hurtful gossip she spreads).
Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading :)