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Have you ever been talking to someone and they keep talking and talking and talking and talking and you canât get them to stop talking? You donât want to be rude by directly interrupting them, but you really need (and want) to end the conversation.
Luckily there are some easy ways to get out of those situations. Check out my video for some nonverbal tricks you can use to get people to stop talking.
These are some tips that I have used in my own life, Iâm not proud of them, but they do help to get people to wrap up their thoughts. There are different levels for getting someone to stop talking. Weâre going to start with the least aggressive and level up for more challenging situations.
The Fish
Letâs say that youâre talking to someone and they just keeping going and going. We intuitively know that when someone opens their mouth to say something, we should stop talking. One thing you can try is opening your mouth at them just like a fish:
When you open your mouth it indicates that you have something to say. Even if you donât let any words out of your mouth while they are still talking, just the act of slightly opening your mouth will often get people to wrap up to give you a turn to speak.
The Bookmark
The bookmark looks like this:
Youâre putting your hand out to show that you want to add something. The movement of your hand should draw the other personâs attention to you and the gesture itself resembles a stop or wait emblem, which should prompt them to pause. The bookmark works especially well when you pair it with the fish.
The Pupil
If theyâre still talking after giving them the fish and the bookmark then itâs time to move up to level three and give them a stronger cue. The pupil is when you literally raise your hand as if you have something to say in a classroom. From sitting through years of school we know that when someone raises their hand it means they have something they want to share. It also has a very subtle nonverbal gesture that means stop.
If the person youâre talking to is so into their monologue that theyâre not paying attention to your gestures, itâs time to move up to level four.
The Touch
When you really have to end the conversation, reach out and touch the other personâs arm and tell them it was great speaking with them. This pulls people out of their monologues because while they may not pay attention to your facial expressions or gestures, they will notice if you touch them.
Even people who love to talk will usually become silent for a moment when they are touched. Use their moment of silence to jump in and say your goodbye.
The Teacher
I cringe thinking about it because itâs super aggressive but it can work in a big group of people. Letâs say everyone is talking at once and you donât want to get too crazy by yelling–try The Teacher:
When we see a teacher do this gesture, it usually means âwait a momentâ or âshhâ and we will be quiet. So if you want to get a group to quiet down, you can raise your finger up and look around to grab everyoneâs attention. Make sure youâre standing in a location where the majority of people whom you want to stop talking can see you. Otherwise, this strategy fails to have its full effect.
Remember, these tactics rank in order of aggressiveness so always start with 1 and work your way up to 5 to avoid unnecessarily coming across as socially aggressive.
Bonus Tip: If youâre going to have a conversation with someone who you know is likely to interrupt you, you can discourage them from doing so by telling them how much you want to say. For example, if you have three points you need to make, tell them you have three things to say. This is called âpreventative flaggingâ and it discourages interruptions by giving people a clear idea of how long you expect to talk.
Wow… Iâve been having this same issue lately with new hires at work. I know you didnât ask MY opinion, but Iâm throwing it in there anyway. Maybe it will help. If youâve only known someone for a short time, and they say âI love youâ, stop right there. Donât be fake nice. Say âWe just met. You donât know me well enough to love me. Simmer down.â If you do that right away, you reset the relationship because you have stated your stance. If you ignore this uncomfortable issue and change the subject, or reflexively say âI love you, too!â
Because youâre a people pleaser, youâre inviting a very unhealthy situation into your world. You donât build relationships by telling people what they want to hear so you donât hurt their feelings. If someone makes you uncomfortable, tell them right away. You can do it nicely.
âIâm very uncomfortable with the word love. We just met, and I have trust issues, so itâs going to take me a long time to sort out how I feel.â. This applies to co-workers, intimate relationships, and new friends. If you donât tackle the problem immediately, youâre always going to be trapped in the fake nice bubble. Thatâs how you end up being on Forensic Files.
Lol, youâre so sweet, but none of your tactics are aggressive at all. People who talk to you non stop donât respect you, and they donât care what you think, they just want to take a dump in your ear, unless you stop them. You HAVE to interrupt them. Say, âHey! We can talk later. I love my job, and I have so much work to do!â. Being polite doesnât work, because people like this donât understand normal social cues.
Hi Vanessa I was wondering if you have any experience with people, acquaintances or semi friends saying I love you and expecting you to say it back when you hardly know the person.