i was in a conversation with partners tonight, and i was informed that i had been interrupting them at several points during the conversation.
this is a regular occurence for me (the interruption, not the pointing out of it), and i tend to take up a lot of space socially wherever i am. i’m trying to figure out ways to improve on this front, and to recognize it when i do it, but sometimes it feels like i genuinely don’t hear what other people are saying.
part of the problem is that when i talk, there are a lot of pauses in my speech, which are almost always just to gather my thoughts. i’m a slow talker. and i think people misinterpret that as me signalling that i’m done. idk.
i really want to figure this out, i’ve always kind of driven off quieter people because of this.
would it be narcissistic/inappropriate to mention that i’ve been reading things/looking for help with this?
2 comments
You might look into “active listening”, I literally changed my conversation skills entirely, and now I’m able to engage in conversations deeply, and am more likely to remember more of the conversation.
>part of the problem is that when i talk, there are a lot of pauses in my speech, which are almost always just to gather my thoughts.
Have you tried thinking *before* you talk instead of during?