Only Interrupt Someone to Improve the Conversation

Interrupting when someone’s talking could be rude or it could be a skillful way to enhance the conversation. It depends on the reasons why you’re interrupting and how you do it.

Pick the Brain tells us the two times you should refrain from interrupting: To finish someone else’s sentence (good in close personal relationships, but not so much in work settings) or to co-opt the conversation and talk about yourself (“I know what you mean...one time in band camp...”). Both situations can make the interrupter seem rude. I know some people who can’t help interrupting because they have a thought in their head during the discussion and are afraid they’ll forget it—but not paying attention to the other person so you can remember and say what you want isn’t a good communication strategy.

On the flip side, Pick the Brain notes a few times when it’s good to interrupt: If you want to make sure you understand what the other person just said, for example, or to get a conversation back on track (like a meeting).

The key is really to make the interruption serve the conversation and to pay more attention to the times you mindlessly interrupt others (we all do it!).

How to Interrupt | Pick the Brain

Photo by pedrosimoes7.

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