By: Natasha Archary
Some people are great conversationalists, others not so much. It can make it difficult to engage with a person when you are interrupted when you speak.
This Tuesday on Kaya Drive with Sizwe Dhlomo, the question was ‘Who is that one person who is always interrupting you when you speak?’
The team felt that the one person who was more likely to interrupt others during a conversation was Keneiloe Huma. Recounting an incident from the team meeting before the show, Sizwe singled out Keneiloe for interrupting him mid-point.
Listen to the team banter moment here:
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Tue 15:12:31 to 15:25:43 Kaya 959 95.9
Kaya listeners weighed in on people who interrupt them as well and many feel that people who do interject during a conversation are unaware that this is what they do.
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5 reasons why you’re interrupted when you speak Natasha
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5 reasons why you’re interrupted when you speak Natasha
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5 reasons why you’re interrupted when you speak Natasha
A Stanford researcher examined how people perceive interruptions in conversation and found that the responses differed based on people’s personal conversation style and gender.
If you are constantly getting interrupted when you speak, here are 5 ways to improve your conversation style:
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Get to the point
You lose your audience when you ramble or fail to capture their attention within a few minutes. You think you are getting to the point and they don’t see the end in sight to this conversation and may interrupt you to get the conversation flowing again.
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Exude confidence
People are less likely to interrupt someone who is confident or who they view as important. Perhaps it’s a matter of being too comfortable in your relationship for example that people overlook the other person.
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Share the floor
People may interrupt you if they struggle to get a word in edgewise. You are dominating the conversation without giving the other person a chance to weigh in. You lose people’s interest and they react by interrupting you. Gauge the level of interest from eye contact and body language.
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Speak from an informed perspective
When you have a passion or you’re well versed in a particular subject it’s easy to get excited and share as much as possible. What tends to happen however is that people often overshare and let people in on too much which may make them either uncomfortable or disinterested. Rather keep the conversation factual and direct.
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View the interruption as a way to improve
If someone interrupts you don’t take it personally, rather use this as ‘indirect’ feedback to improve on your conversation style. Take a moment to reflect on the interaction and pinpoint areas that you could have improved on.
Also read: Musically I’m the best says iFani
