Anyone else have trouble when speaking in groups? I feel pretty confident when interacting with one person, but sometimes when there’s a conversation with multiple people I just find it so hard to jump in. I don’t want to cut anyone off but then the time to bring up the topic passes. I think it’s just hard when nobody directly speaks to you. Anyone have advice for conversing in groups?
2 comments
I have this problem.it is something that has reduced as I’ve got older. First of all you need to know that interacting one on one is different to a group.
If you are good one on one that is great and suggests you can read people socially.
What you need to learn is that group interactions are different. One on one people prefer deeper topics but groups prefer lighter topics. They involve people telling interesting light hearted stories for the most part. You also need to jostle for your time to speak.
I really struggle with this a lot too. At least in my case, my parents yelled at me throughout my childhood for interrupting them. As a result I always leave extra silence after somebody finishes speaking before I start speaking, which means there’s rarely a gap in conversation long enough for me to feel safe opening my mouth.
I don’t really have any advice to offer, but it’s a possible cause to consider.