How to Stop Interrupting People and Finishing Sentences
Interrupting someone while they are trying to speak is considered as a very bad habit. It can cause poor communication and even missed opportunities. At times, there are people who hate when others interrupt them and in that case you might even be putting your relationship with them at stake. You need to respect the others who are trying to speak and have patience so that you do not interrupt them while they are trying to converse.
There are two types of interruptions: cooperative interruption through which you can interrupt the other person and state supportive statements. On the other hand, there are competitive interruptions, in which you give out your own point of view in order to mould the topic to your liking. In both the cases, you must respect the other person enough to let him/her finish the sentence.
Instructions
-
1
First of all, you must change your focus. Try to be the listener. Just stop thinking about the fact that you can contribute to the conversation yourself. You must pay attention to whatever is being said and you absorb everything so that you can remember it later on.
-
2
Try to practice things. Get involved in conversations where you have to be the listener most of the times.
-
3
You can also practice by letting the other person finish speaking. This will require a lot of effort if you interrupt conversations on a daily basis. Simply get involved in a conversation and try not to contribute anything until and unless the other person is speaking. The best way to keep a check on this is through the three-second rule. Let the other person finish and you start speaking after three seconds of silence.
-
4
At times, some people interrupt conversations because they want to tell other people about the idea they have in their head, knowing that they will forget it later on. In such cases, you must carry a pen and a pad to note things down. This way you will be involved in writing something down all the time and your focus will be on writing and not on interrupting.
You can float the idea you had written down later on, when it is needed. -
5
Try to concentrate on sending a strong non-verbal vibes. You must show the other person that you are interested in what they are trying to say and then add whatever you would like to add at the end.
