Interruptions can be annoying and frustrating. They may not always be intentional, but can be irritating regardless. Why do we interrupt? We interject for a number of reasons. One may be that we are not listening. Instead of listening, many people are waiting for the other person to stop talking so they can talk again. What they have to say is not as important as what we have to say and not worth listening to, so we cut them off.
Another cause of this behavior is we think we know what they are going to say, so we decide to finish the thought for them, or disagree before they can finish. Sometimes our intentions are not as inconsiderate. We may interrupt because we get excited about something we want to include in the conversation and feel it cannot wait. Whatever the reason, an interruption sends the message that we do not care about what the other person is saying and our opinion matters most. Constantly sending this message is an easy way to kill a conversation.
There are ways to prevent this kind of behavior. The key is truly listening. If you are focused on what the other person is saying, you are less likely to interrupt because you are not thinking about what you have to say, you are thinking about what they are saying. You will have more information to make your statement, or the question you would have interrupted with may be answered. No one can read minds; you have no way of knowing what a person is going to say. You may have a good idea, but it is no excuse for rude behavior. You may meet someone who you may need to interrupt because they stray from the point, or take a bit too long to reach a point. In this case, you can make a polite inquiry about their point. Next time you feel an outburst, take a breath, be patient, and know that you will get your time to speak.
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