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Carl B asked in Society & CultureEtiquette · 1 decade ago

How do you deal with people who interrupt you when you are speaking ?

Hi All,

I'm a quiet guy. I usually do not talk unless I've got something to say. When I start to talk I usually get interrupted about mid-sentence by someone who takes the subject of what we were talking about off to a completely different area.

I'd like to hear from others about how they deal with a situation like this. There are times that interrupting is very appropriate. I'm also someone who likes listening to what other people have to say.

99% of the time I just ignore the bad manners and forget about it. On rare occasion if I'm dealing with someone who constantly interrupts I'll just keep on talking.

Sometimes I experiment. Just to see what happens I will never finish what I had to say just to see how the others react. Most of the time the other person will keep on talking and never notice. Sometimes they do notice and they will say something like " You were saying?" How I react then depends on who I'm talking to. I will either finish what I was saying or I will say " Aw it was not that important anyway."

I like people. I want to hear what they have to say. I'd like to deal with bad manners in a polite way when possible but I'm open to hearing how to deal with folks like these in a humorous way.

Thanks for your responses!!

5 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I stop talking, wait for therm to finish, then continue saying "As I was saying..."

  • 1 decade ago

    A good way to be discreet about being pissed they were so rudely interrupting is to have a less- friendly face while they are talking than when you were talking. Not mean, just... agitated. And don't respond for a second or two to show you weren't especially attuned to what they had to say. Then, when you continue talking, you should start off with- As I was saying...However, this hostility should be saved for a constant interrupter or someone known to be a... jerk off :)

    If it is a friend, or a first time interrupter, then you can start again with As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, and then smile or laugh and say you are joking. That shows you noticed it but you weren't mad about it. This way, they won't do it again.

    I love how a GUY actually cares about manners and etiquette. It's very refreshing.

    Source(s): My best friend in the whole world is a constant interrupter! Haha :)
  • sunny
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    I usually let them interrupt me and listen to what they have to say and then I will come back with, Well, as I started to say, before I was interrupted is blah, blah, blah but I never let it go with letting them know that they were being rude.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    If you want to be humorous, cough loudly when they start interrupting and as long as they know you well enough they'll probably laugh and apologize for cutting you off.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I usually say,

    "Shut up, I'm talking. Wait until I'm finished"

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