People talking over people. Happens all the time. After dining with guests a person begins to wonder who did all the talking. “Did I ever get through?” you later ask. Self-doubt settles in.
Being talked over seems to be happening more and more lately. Just an ongoing blather.
Halfway through listening to a person, sitting graciously with head nodding for 10 minutes, comes the realization there is no allowance for you.
When this occurred between me and a friend of mine, I did not know what to do. Three different meetings and still no conversation.
This can be viewed as an opportunity to sit and listen to somebody go on and on and on and on and on and on and on with no room to speak. When I do, I’m talked over.
Better ones I’ve learned are these:
Keep talking. Keep talking and slow down the rate of speech.
Use the person’s name. Single out the person by name. Acknowledge the other person interrupting you. “John. Please let me finish.” As a softener to any tone, add, “I’d love to hear your point of view next.” Something like that. Absolutely puts them as deer in the headlights.
Resist the urge to raise your voice. There is a sort of invisible power-play here. Keep your voice. Keep your power.
If someone is chronically talking over you, they have no interest in what you have to say. That is disrespectful. If someone does not respect you, you have to respect yourself enough to keep on talking.
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