HOW TO DEAL WITH A SERIAL INTERRUPTER?

Dear Miss Behave,

I have a friend who is getting on my nerves! She can’t keep her mouth shut! She interrupts at every juncture when we are with friends and rudely continues my sentence when I am talking. She starts telling how she had had that experience before and how outrageous it was when it happened to her. How do I get her to shut up? Especially now that we communicate through the Zoom application. I’m tempted to press the “mute” button during our conversations! - Fr: Lay See

Dear Lay See,

I, too, have had an acquaintance who was a serial interrupter, “peacocking” his way into every conversation I had with my friends. I have tried all conventionally polite tricks — waiting for him to finish and gently pull the conversation back. But if this happens to you nine out of 10 times, you’d want to have a wand to wish him into thin air.

So what are we poor victims to do?

Stand your ground. Keep on talking. The other participants in the conversation may seem bewildered at first, not knowing whom to look or listen to. But when the interrupter notices that you refuse to be “hijacked”, she will learn to simmer down.

In the end, you can even return the ball to your interrupter and ask her to continue telling her fascinating tale. Most of the time, she could not remember what was so important that she felt compelled to interrupt you and others. It isn’t about the conversation. It’s only about getting the attention.

Having said that, do not indulge yourself with this conduct when it comes to strangers, elders or new acquaintances. Sometimes, it is better to lose to stand out in the crowd.

* Any image and etiquette questions? Write in to: wendy@ chap-one.com