People Who Constantly Talk Over or Interrupt Others

It drives me insane. I work with a woman who does this to everyone. What''s even worse is that her very loud interruptions usually have nothing to do with the topic of discussion. Also she will often walk into a room loudly proclaiming something. This woman practically yells when she speaks. What is wrong with people who behave this way? Do they even realize what they are doing?

• I''ll ask my mother this weekend.

• kick her in the cunt.

• I do this and really don''t mean to...it''s a very bad habit and I try my best to not do it..for me, my brain is going so fast and I think if I don''t get my thought out it will disappear.

• Men interrupt more than women who''ve been brought up to be polite and wait until the other person finishes a sentence.

• Next time she walks into a room proclaiming something, keep right on talking to the person you were talking to and completely ignore this woman. If she continues to try to talk over your conversation turn around and tell her that you are in the middle of a conversation and turn back around.\ \ There was a woman who was like this in my office and we learned to ignore her and freeze her out - she finally got the message.

• I work with one like that--whenever I have to sit in a staff meeting with her I have to sit at the other end of the room because she is very, VERY loud. Plus, she gets pissed off, folds her arms and glowers when it''s not her turn to speak. The irony? She''s a librarian.

• ADHD plus insecurity.%0D\ %0D\ I don''t think they are doing it on purpose or with bad intent. They just speak out what goes through their minds without a filter and they aren''t secure enought to talk about anything else than themselves or the weather.

• Loud may have to do with some degree of deafness. Rude, no excuse.

• One of my closest female friends does this constantly, and I think it is insecurity as well...\ \ For example, we''ll be watching tv and I''ll start to say, "I really don''t like the way that actress..." and before I can say the last word, she say, "Walks..I know! It is so repulsive."\ \ And I was not going to say anything about the way she walks.\ \ I think she is trying so hard to have people agree with her or feel "in" on something that she just has to finish what you are saying.

• I too have a friend who constantly interrupts to guess the end of my sentences/anecdotes. He is mostly wrong. But either way, it is very tiresome.

• My oldest niece does this constantly. She came by it naturally as her mother did it too. I''ve chastised my niece many times about it to the point of getting angry, especially during phone conversations. I''ll be talking and she just bursts right in and starts running her mouth. Just last week she did this and it pissed me off so much is said very sternly "WELL WHY DON''T WE JUST BOTH TALK AT THE SAME TIME"! That phone conversation ended rather abruptly.

• I knew someone like this. And then he died.

• What about the flipside - people who take too long to tell a story, or they talk so quickly and incessantly that they don''t allow others to get a word in so other people are forced to interrupt just to get the story over with or to make a point before the context of the conversation that makes the point relevant has passed. \ \ These nonstop talkers bother me more than people who interrupt.

• There can be several reasons for this. I grew up in a family where conversation was a competitive event. Dinner was always a very lively affair. However, once I got out in the world, I realized that not everyone grew up in a family such as mine, and I had to adjust. I am from a pretty WASPy background, but I wonder if the woman in question is Italian or Jewish.\ \ My partner interrupts me all the time. His problem is that he will not wait until the end of the sentence to get all of the information. If he does not understand something, he immediately asks a question rather than allow me to finish a sentence. (We tried to learn German together. The fact that the verb was often at the end of the sentence made his head explode.)

• [quote]What about the flipside - people who take too long to tell a story, or they talk so quickly and incessantly that they don''t allow others to get a word in so other people are forced to interrupt just to get the story over with or to make a point before the context of the conversation that makes the point relevant has passed. %0D\ %0D\ I know a guy, very nice, but it takes him so long to tell a story. He goes on and on, in detail, about every little thing down to what a person was wearing and every word single exchanged. Most people are nodding off or have that look of stupefaction you get when your eyes glaze over by the time the story ends. A woman I know talks on and on and on, absolute nonsensical chatter. She can talk forever and say nothing of consequence. Most of the time I''ve seen her she''s seemed a little drunk and I suspect she drinks too much and mixes with prescription pills. What''s scary is she''s a nurse.

• My ex neighbor, who talks incessantly and LOUDLY, then cackles loudly after everything she says does this. On the rare occasion you get a word in she''ll interrupt, sometimes in mid-sentence, about something totally different. Or, sometimes, and this absolutely kills me, after she''d been monopolizing the entire conversation for what seems like ages (as usual) she acts like you''re the one who''s blabbing on and she can''t get away. Some people just don''t like to listen. She still keeps in touch, but after getting together with her for lunch with another neighbor of mine when she was in town, my patience has really worn thin. She''s also hypersensitive it seems.

• My partner is like that as well R15, It is like he is one of those talking dolls from the 1960s. Once the string is pulled he has to go through the whole recording. More than once he has made the mistake of saying "to make a long story short" only to be told "too late". He also has been told more than once, "Does this story have a point?" He finds these comments very hurtful, but he cannot change the way his mind works.

• R16 people like that are self-centered with a dash of ADHD. I know a woman who talks incessantly and will ask you a question but before you can finish she is talking about something else. I also know a very elderly woman who talks only about herself and her family and praises her kids to the skies but has never once asked another person if they are married, have kids, what their job is. She does''t have the slightest interest or clue about anyone of her neighbor''s lives. It''s all her.

• I, like r13, interrupt because I am afraid that I will forget what I was going to say. I am very scatterbrained. I am not a nonstop talker, however, and get annoyed by them as well. My partner and I went out to dinner with chatty older friends of hers last weekend. They talked so much that I couldn''t get a word in. They called my partner afterwards and said that they couldn''t believe how quiet I am. Geez.

• I dated a guy who constantly interupted me. Drove me crazy. When ever I would start to say somethng he would interupt, and just talk right over me. The one time I asked him about it, he said that he did it because he knew what I was going to say as soon as I started to talk. We broke up after a long weekend spent camping. It was the closest thing to hell I could imagine. I ended up screaming at him over nd over again that he didn''t know what I was going to say, and he needed to shut the fuck up. Not my proudest moment, but I''m glad he''s not part of my life anymore

• Sometimes people just need to be told about themselves, r20. Good for you! If more people stood up to these assholes and shut them down, perhaps eventually there would be fewer of them...

• I have found that insecure people do this often and several of my close friends do it.\ \ It drives me nuts and they are mostly women. I don''t see them that much so I just put up with it when we get together for dinner.

• I sometimes do the finish peoples'' sentences thing and it drives people who love me crazy....

  There, I admitted it.

• We have an idiot in this office who talks over everyone all the time, saying "yeah, yeah, yeah" repeatedly, until you want to punch her in the mouth. It''s how you know she''s tuned out what''s being said, and only occurs when actual work is being discussed, never during boring stories about kids or pets. Did I mention she''s the boss? Well: she''s the boss.

  yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

• My partner''s mother does this. Drives me nuts. And if you try to ignore her she keeps saying ''excuse me'' until you answer her. Then she goes off on another topic.\ \ She''s starting to get dementia and says the same things over and over. It''s really hard sometimes to be patient with her.

  Poor old bird...

• The ability to listen is a gift.

• Count me in with those who are annoyed by people who finish your sentences incorrectly. I know a guy who is married to an idiot like this. It drives me insane. And since I can''t stand her, I have no problem saying, "No, that''s not at all what I was going to say." Then again, since she always gets it wrong in such a ridiculous way, I''m starting to wonder if she does it on purpose just to annoy me. If so, job well done.

• I deal with people like that all the time and there is absolutely no excuse for there behavior even with an adhd diagnosis. its just an excuse for there selfish and rude behavior. it's not like they couldn't work on it. I have had many people talk over me, interrupt me and allowing others to interrupt me while having a conversation with them. It;s pointless in trying to have a conversation with people like that because anything that you are trying to say will be in response to some kind of interruption. I just don't bother with idiots who can't show any proper respect. Plain and simple

• Overlapping a normal conversational thing people do, overlap speech. It indicates interest, engagement in conversation. The reason Howard Hawks films all sound natural is that he put extra words in each line so actors could deliberately overlap. HOWEVER When people get irritated by overlapping and call it interrupting, they are playing a powergame. "No-one dare interrupt me because what I am saying is so important" The real problem is the inflated ego of the person complaining who is trying to control the situation to make everything revolve around them

• ANYWAY! Last night my cat bit me! Can you believe it?! It's not like I haven't been feeding him or anything! Maybe he's still angry with me because of that one time I tried to make him wear one of my wigs?? I don't know! This is what we need to be talking about people! Help me figure this puzzle out!!!

• Chris Matthews owns this thread.

• That bitch Heather owns this thread.

  Ramona

• I only do it when some boor is monologuing and forcing everyone to sit captive to whatever inanity he enjoys hearing his own voice blathering. In those situations, I will interrupt as often as possible even with complete nonsequitors.

• R33 That's nice and all, but what about my cat?!!

• An acquaintence set me up on a date with a European guy, and totally embellished how good he would treat me. I'm female, BTW. Every time I'd try to tell the dude something about me, he'd interrupt with a "Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!" cadence. He bumped into people and didn't apologize, and when we went into the restautant, instead of waiting for a table inside, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out onto the patio. The server looked very embarrassed when I asked for a dinner menu and had to tell me we could only get appetizers out there. I was a little chunky then, however, my friend had promised I'd be wined and dined. The cheap bastard put down single mothers (I'm a single mom) and was generally a Eurotrash chauvinest (sp?). I told him to take me home, and he stopped for gas! At the gas station, a street bum asked for, and received cash from the dude, then hollered at me, "That's a good man you got there!" He kept trying to get me to go home with him, saying, "Haven't you ever had a couple of drinks and get to know someone?" Told the guy I could see him coming a mile away and no thanks!

  He Was Also Way Too Loud

• I was talking with someone a few days ago who asked me three different questions, then interrupted as soon as I began answering. After he did it the third time, I realized he had no interest in what I had to say. Turned out he was buttering me up so he could ask me for a loan. I would have been more likely to give it to him if he hadn't acted like that. He made it so easy to say no.

• I once worked with a 55ish woman who was just like this. She was raising her toddler grandson because of some long troubled story about the daughter/mother. The grandson was diagnosed as autistic and what I immediately thought (but never said) was, well, no wonder -- the child's brain circuitry probably snapped, being confronted with that maniacal in-your-face loudness all the time. Frankly, I too fell a few notches on the autism scale after a five-minute interaction with this woman!

• Conversation is not the art of listening. It's the art of waiting.

  Fran%20L.%20

• Yes, I am guilty. Sometimes, it takes someone forever to get to the point. Sometimes, I am interested in someone's story and interject and ask questions. I notice that I don't do it all the time but mostly when I am anxious or agitated and I need info.

• [quote]Just last week she did this and it pissed me off so much is said very sternly "WELL WHY DON'T WE JUST BOTH TALK AT THE SAME TIME"! LOL! Reminds me of an episode of American Dad where Stan got tired of his son Steve always screeching, and so when he finally had enough, he literally yelled back at Steve. I don't remember what he said, but it was hella funny.

  bad%20memory%2C%20sorry

• I know someone who talks loud because of a deaf family member, but I also know that she talks a great deal of several subjects, but nothing below surface about herself. She doesn't ask personal questions of others because she doesn't want others to ask personal questions of her in return. She came from a horrible childhood and is ashamed and hasn't resolved any of it. I only found out about some of the things when she got pissed at me about something and dropped the information as a comparison and never expanded on it. Bitch needs to be in therapy.

• Non-stop talkers are awful but especially when you are stuck on a bus or plane with one. Sometimes you can strike up a wonderful conversation with a stranger but other times it's hellish. I find it very weird when someone you don't know is suddenly saying 'Well, George said ... ' as if you have the slightest idea who he might be. Some of these people are shut-ins who just need to blab until their batteries run out.

• [quote]I do this and really don't mean to...it's a very bad habit and I try my best to not do it..for me, It's possible to break the habit. When I realized I had once again interrupted, I'd apologize and redirect the conversation back to the original topic. Now I can't remember the last time I did it.

• A former friend of mine used to do this a lot. She'd talk about herself ALL the fucking time, and if anyone else actually managed to get in a word or two edgewise, she'd interrupt them and find a way to relate it to herself. Our friendship finally ended when she once told me that she loved "Sex And The City", and my immediate response was, "Of course you do. Those four are irritating, self-absorbed cunts just like you are." She hasn't spoken to me since.

• My ex's mother would talk endlessly, seriously for hours without a breath, about herself and only herself and if you ever managed to interject anything that was about anything not specifically about her into the "conversation" she would completely ignore it and keep railroading on or say she had to go now. I much prefer interrupters to self-absorbed cretins who think they're always standing at a dais.

• OP, that sounds exactly like my co-worker. And she does this to our boss constantly. He'll be speaking about something job related and she'll interrupt and finish his sentence, but he'll say, "That's not where I was going with this." So he'll start up again, but she'll interrupt again. So now his blood is boiling and raising his voice at her, but rather than shutting up and listening, she'll keep talking over him, pissing him off even more. Afterwards, she'll go around telling people in the office how mean and nasty he is towards her and say things like, "What's wrong with him? He's sure in a foul mood."

• I have a good friend with whom I have lunch or dinner with once or twice a week. Unfortunately, he often invites a common acquaintance to join us. My friend feels somewhat sorry for this fellow, as he's lonely and socially awkward. Unfortunately, he's also a droner and an interrupter. I find myself not bothering to try to converse, and I certainly can't enjoy the time talking with my friend because this boor is constantly finishing sentences and launching into the most boring stories. I feel badly for the guy, but I don't have a lot of social time available and I feel like every minute of torture with this person is time stolen from me and my friend, so, unfairly, I resent him for it. Not to mention it's detrimental to my blood pressure. Unfortunately, calling attention to it only hurts his feelings. So I avoid the situation whenever possible.

• It means they are stupid, insecure, rude and have no social skills.

• This problem could really be solved by the mentally ill soliloquists just staying home and posting on the internet like our own dear Rolland.

• I work with some like that. I simply say: ˝Can I finish, please?˝ or ˝Let me finish, please?˝ I do it by interrupting their interruption. Fuck them. It must be some type of short attention span, I don't know what else.

• P.S. The person at work is a man.

  50

• LOL, R49.

• [quote] The reason Howard Hawks films all sound natural is that he put extra words in each line so actors could deliberately overlap. If only all interrupters were charming and witty like Carry Grant and Kate Hepburn. In any case, a lot of fast talking in Hawks's comedies was about men and women not being able to connect or have a dialogue. So, you are not using a very good example here. And Hawks believed that action showed emotions better than words, which is why his characters were so loose with words in many of his films. Not all though, just his screwball comedies.

• R47, I'm in the same boat. I have an old roommate I miss. However, her husband has a total loser friend. I've stopped accepting invitations to dinner at their house, because this jackass is almost always invited. He'll show up, kill an ongoing conversation and launch into a droning account of some unbelievably trivial matter. I ask her out to lunch so I can control the guest list.

• Altman and Cassavetes did the same but better than Hawks.

• I have a friend (male, surprisingly) who has got to speak over 15,000 words a day, I swear. He'll go off on tangents based on tangents based on tangents until you get lost and cannot even remember WTF his original thought was. It is physically and mentally EXHAUSTING. Every time I call him or stop by (because I'm lonely and don't have many friends in the area) I quickly regret it--every single time! I've even told him before, "Lets play a game! It's called BE QUIET AND DON'T SAY A WORD FOR FIVE MINUTES!!!" I hang up the phone or leave his place so relieved that it's finally over, and vow never to subject myself to that again...only to eventually do it again.

• Comparing Altman and Cassavetes to Hawks is like comparing apples to oranges. Hawks was a true studio system director. He was one of the few directors who successfully transitioned from one genre to another, all within the limits of the system he belonged to. Still he was able to make films that were a reflection of his worldview, which was not an easy feat (one that was first recognized by the french critics in the early 50s). Altman and Cassavetes were true independents, from an entirely different time.

• I havent met one biracial who was NOT loud

• And I have a friend who does it as well. At dinner our attorney buddy was describing how, as executor, he went to the fabulous condo of the deceased to go through all the drawers. We anticipated a great story and A. interrupted, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? WHY WOULD YOU GO THROUGH HER DRAWERS?" I told her a few days later that it was the last time he would ever see us socially and it was because of her. She said she had ADHD, which I doubt, since she was valedictorian of our HS and had great grades at Northwestern. She did have two cerebral aneurisms (SP?) and her memory's been spotty ever since. But also, she's Greek and her whole family does this.

• What certainly doesn't help it is all of those supposed mini "debates" that they have on CNN etc where they bring two people on to talk about something and the rightwinger will talk over whoever the other person is. Some psychos repeat this behavior, thinking this is how a point is gotten across and imagine they are impressive and assertive.

• Interrupting is extremely rude, but non-stop talkers are very very annoying. My work hired a woman like that once. Everyone else would be working, and she would sit there and look around at everyone, and then suddenly start yapping. And this happened *all the time*, it wasn't just once in a while. Not surprisingly, she wasn't getting any work done while she yakked, which was even more annoying. If she'd been able to multi-task while chatting, it wouldn't have been so bad, but nope. Soooo annoying.

• I have a friend who does this...he's 62. Once, and only once have I lost my temper towards him regarding this interrupting. He looked so shocked and hurt, that I never did it again. And he STILL interrupts. Our mutual friend has spoken to him about possible hearing issues.

• My ex's mother was like this. She was very opinionated and everything with her was a monologue. If you attempted to interject a comment, it was TALK TO THE HAND! She'd hold up her hand in your face, turn her head away from you, and keep yapping. My partner had given up on her long ago and just let her run on. One day I finally lost it and said "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP??!" The silence was overwhelming... and then they BOTH jumped on me for being rude and disrespectful, etc. I realized that nothing was ever going to change and my partner was obviously siding with Mommy, so that was the end of our relationship. It wasn't the best way to handle it, but I couldn't take it any more.

• The worst are shy people who get drunk

• The people who do this are usually narcissists. One of the tell-tale signs of narcissism in extraordinary impatience with others, and they get impatient with conversations because they feel it's always their turn to talk.

• Probably the best way I know how to handle this is, if someone keeps doing this in a conversation, call them out on it but don't get mad: "Please let me finish speaking before you speak; that's being rude to me otherwise." It won't work with psychopaths but works for most other people.

• [quote]I too have a friend who constantly interrupts to guess the end of my sentences/anecdotes. I find myself doing this but only with one friend in particular. It takes him forever to get to a point and I can't help but place the next word for him so he can continue.

• I had a next door neighbor who became sort of a friend who was like that. She was always interrupting people, talking over them, and trying to dictate the flow of a conversation. It turned out that she was hiding many secrets, including the circumstances under which she had left her previous job, moved to our city, her finances, family, all sorts of things. In retrospect, it explains her behavior: she was trying to steer conversations from anything that would take her out of her comfort zone and would push her to answer questions about her past.

• [quote]I had a next door neighbor who became sort of a friend who was like that. She was always... Me too. It was non-stop. Constantly talking over me. [quote]It turned out that she was hiding many secrets, including the circumstances under which she had left her previous job... Oh, give me a break with excuses. Seriously. She's just needing to get her opinion out there and her opinion is all that matters. [quote]she was trying to steer conversations from anything that would take her out of her comfort zone and... That's what a lot of people and it drives me insane.

• My response to this topic:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dxocbg_XTEzc

• I had a friend from the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia, a part of town not known for its manners. He constantly interrupted us, especially when we talked about something he knew nothing about. He blurt out and say, "I don't know anything about this subject, can we talk about something else?" while we were talking. Drove me mad, but I tried to be accepting of his stank white trash ass because he had serious family issues. His parents were godawful people, even worse than mine. He was on disability and would use his food stamps to purchase cheesesteaks and hoagies, instead of buying food that required cooking. His home was overrun by roaches too. Eventually we lost contact because he was just to controlling and insane.

• My Dad used to say, "your mother talks 20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50."

• I have a co-worker who not only constantly interrupts me in the middle of a sentence....while I am giving report so I can leave .....she also rolls in 1 minute before the hour every day and because we have to give shift report and count meds and stuff incoming staff are supposed to come in 15 mins before shifts start and she NEVER has,.....she is just rude ....and thoughtless...I have already been there for a 10 hour shift and Icame in for report before my shift in plenty of time so outgoing staff can leave on time and I am constantly 10 or 15 mins after my shift is over !!!!! OK sorry just had to vent somewhere Thank you:

• "People Who Constantly Talk Over or Interrupt Others" They're called straight men, OP. You may as well use the the nomenclature with the most brevity.

• I know a 70 year old woman, who interupts all conversations , and no matter what you say she has a better story, also noticed this woman apart from a control freak, is one of the biggest liars you can imagine, beware loud voice cottesloe, avoid at all cost

• there is a woman at cottesloe beach, who yells and interupts all conversations, and can she lie, she thinks of herself as maggie thatcher ugh repulsive bit of work.

• Clearly they're insane. Avoid them.

• [quote]I find it very weird when someone you don't know is suddenly saying 'Well, George said ... ' as if you have the slightest idea who he might be. OMG, my friend is like this with me! We'll be talking about, say, the weather, and she'll suddenly say something like "I really didn't like that show, did you?" And I'll be like "wtf are you talking about?!?" And then she gets upset cuz she has to "repeat" herself! I swear, it's like she has a convo running in her head and just assumes that I can hear it, too.

• My sister does this constantly, we just tell her to shut up and let people finish speaking.

  Anonymous

• [quote]Chris Matthews owns this thread. I agree r31. The thread could have stopped with his name.

• [quote]I have a co-worker who ... rolls in 1 minute before the hour every day and because we have to give shift report and count meds and stuff incoming staff are supposed to come in 15 mins before shifts start and she NEVER has... I came in for report before my shift in plenty of time so outgoing staff can leave on time and I am constantly 10 or 15 mins after my shift is over !!!!! My stepdad was a fireman for 35 years, and the unwritten agreement that all the firemen had was that they'd arrive 30 mins early each shift (so that the outgoing guys didn't have to take any last-minute calls that'd put them into overtime). Sometimes, they'd get a newbie asshole who thought the rule didn't apply to him, and he'd show up right on time instead of early like everyone else. After a guy did this more than once (and had been told the "rule"), the other fireman would make his working life miserable: mean "pranks", cold food, spit in his food, freeze him out of conversations, etc. And most importantly, the guy who would replace the asshole wouldn't come in early, either, so the jerk would be the one inconvenienced. After a few shifts like this, the assholes would always change their tune and fall in line.

• I have a friend who likes to interrupt with "organ recitals." Medical issues. If someone is talking about an operation he may have to undergo, she will pipe up with "the same thing happened to me, except it was much worse," before the guy gets three words out of his mouth. He may be scared, anticipating this operation, but the woman simply must let him know that "I've been there, it was horrible, and there were comlications that were almost unbearable. I hope that doesn't happen in your case." I have actually stopped the conversation at this point. "This isn't about you!" I said. "We're trying to listen to Tim right now." And she'll say, "I know, I know, it's just that I've been through the same thing and I want to help too." I understand wanting to put your two cents in if you have undergone the same trials and tribulations, but at least let the person get his story out first. Ugh.

• When people spend a lot of time together, you think you know what the other person is going to say. Or you have heard the person said it before. You want to show it that you remember what he told you before, so you finish his sentence. He was very upset I did that. Is it so wrong to show it to the other person that you pay attention to what he said in the past and what he is saying now. If you don't want this, then don't tell me the repeated story.

• I have a friend who doess several of the things mentioned in this thread. The talking loudly over people is a habit he never had until he went to live in the US for a few years. The thing he does which really annoys me is to anticipate/guess/assume people's opinions and then start arguing with the opinions he has imagined. We used to be close but I find it quite hard to be around him these days.

• A former friend of mine always used to do something like this. He didn't interrupt, but no matter what you started to say, his response was to turn the subject immediately back to himself. He told me once (and I could tell his feelings were hurt) that this other friend of ours actually asked him once, why are you always turning the subject back to yourself? I didn't have the heart to confirm to him that that other friend was right.

• I've been diagosed with extreme ADHD and OCD (my doc said I am one of her worse cases and she has been in the field for over 30 years). I have 4 children and my wife. I also have a very successful career in sales in software (consultant for several companies). I use to get so mad when people interrupt me but later found out that I am equally as guilty. I have found people are like me that have a hard time focusing on conversations and when a thought hits, we have to state or it will be gone for a long time. And there are other people that have poor communication skills. Its amazing when you ask a classroom of adults if they have taken a listening class/seminar. And even more interesting when they ask you, "what class?" I think it can be wrapped up into one word, "habit". Even with disabilities like ADHD, you can try to adapt and do better. I am currently not on medication because the extreme effects all medicine can have on my body. So I have had to learn to do everything naturally by reading topics like psychology, NLP, meditation, interpersonal skills, etc. Sorry for drawn out comment but I understand both sides. Its very hard to hold back your thoughts but at the same time it is annoying to be cut off. One technique I use is what I use in advertising. Say as little as possible but enough to catch their attention.

  Sam Stanley

• The talking loudly thing is often either gradually losing your hearing and being unaware of it, or spending a lot of time talking to deaf people. A lot of Americans have grown up with loud music and earbuds and as they age, they slowly and gradually lose hearing. They don't even realize they're turning up the tv louder and talking louder so they can understand all the words. I lived with a hearing impaired person and you do end up talking loudly, otherwise every other word is "What"? and it's as annoying as hell. It's hard to break the habit. Since everybody over 40 on America has hearing loss, it's not surprising. It won't be long now before people will be losing their hearing even younger. My nephew used to race in motocross as a pre-teen. With no earplugs. It didn't occur to his parents he might need to preserve his hearing. This really pissed me off when I found out about it, I asked them about it but they didn't see what the problem was.

• I have a male co-worker who does this. I notice it's only with other women and ESPECIALLY if that woman is talking with the boss. And it will nothing to do with their conversation- he'll just start his own from across the room. It's like clockwork. He will be minding his own business and ignoring everyone unless someone is speaking to the boss. Coworker A (female):"Hey boss, I need to talk to you about these numbers..." Boss:"Ok, what do you have..." (a minute of conversation passes between the two....) Coworker A: "...So you see, If I could get this infor—" Asshole: WOW! DID YOU SEE THE YANKEES PLAY, THAT GAME WAS AMAZING. I HAD TICKETS AND WE HAD GOOD SEATS!!!! Boss: " Uh... really? That's neat..." And the whole conversation is de-railed. What pisses me off is that the Boss NEVER calls him out on interrupting the conversation. The asshole is always humored.

• R29: When people get irritated by overlapping and call it interrupting, they are playing a power-game. "No-one dare interrupt me because what I am saying is so important" The real problem is the inflated ego of the person complaining who is trying to control the situation to make everything revolve around them..... I totally agree! I feel inferior and end up keeping quiet through conversations, many times I could feel like I couldn't edge a word in or that I just have nothing to input. I put my listening face on and after an hour or two, biting my tongue to stay awake!

  BlahBlahBlahhhh

• If it's a cute guy doing the interrupting, take him over your knee and spank the living daylights out of him. If it's a woman, she may deserve to be bitchslapped, otherwise just walk away from her in mid-sentence--if it's an ugly and/or fat guy do the same.

  anon

• I think it is a sense of their over importance, that they are the only one who has anything important to say,It seems also a major discount to those who are speaking,perhaps intentional or unintentional.TO me it is a controlling mechanism and I think it is all a symptom of low self esteem and insecurity.

• You'd love my family op.

  I%20have%20too

• My sister screams when people interrupt her but it's impossible not to. It takes her a fucking hour to tell a story.

• Call them on it when they do it. "I'm sorry, but you keep interrupting me. Do you want me to talk, or should I just listen to you?"

• Marty 'Ethel Merman' Holtman!

• I do it, I hate that I do it though. I just have no patience with people sometimes and want to get them to their point. If I have the answer or an insight that might stop their long story, I'll try to throw it in. An example might be like this. My boss might walk into my office and say "I just got this email from Mary about the new..." and before she finishes I'll say "Yep, took care of it. Don't worry." Why have her spill out the details of the email when I already know what it is about and it's already been dealt with? Ditto to the person who says they are afraid of their train of thought also being forgotten, that happens to me too. Another thing? Narcissism. If I have the answer, or something funny, I want to say it first before anyone else, haha!

• This is why you have no friends, r96.

• I love my best friend, even though she insists on foisting her friends upon me. This friend of a friend not only interrupts, and goes on and on about banalities, but she answers questions for others. If you ask someone a question,she will horn in with the answer. Or she will "adopt" someone's anecdote or story as if it were hers. In addition she is a passive-aggressive pearl clutcher who is chronically late for everything. Finally asked my friend not to include me if that woman is in the mix.

  friend%20of%20a%20masochist

• b

• My experience is that ADHD and big ego/know-it-all-ness often come in the same package. At least that's how I define it, and I've just met another person like this whom I think I need to drop because it's so freaking annoying. I am polite and secure, and can often learn something new or interesting by listening to people. I know: revolutionary! The problem is it seems to attract annoying a-holes that like me because I "listen". After one too many interruptions and failures to catch a clue, I drop these people - gladly - but they are always mystified and hurt, and come up with ego-centric explanations for why I don't want to see them. So basically I'm starting to conclude it's hopeless. It's been good therapy reading everyone's complaints. Thanks! (and wtf is wrong with people these days!?)

  Anonymous

• I do this all the time. I think it is like R14 said. I grew up in a big family, six kids, you had to be sharp and quick out of the gate to be heard. I've been getting a lot better at though. I found it's tolerated a lot less in the adult workplace. So I've honestly told my friends to say right to me when I do it: "you're interrupting. Knock it off." Not to be nice about it at all. It's working and I'm getting a lot better at not doing it. I'm even catching myself. I stop talking and say sorry I interrupted and let the person go on. I really want to break myself of this habit.

• People who constantly talk over or interrupt others are called NEW YORKERS.

• I have a good friend who CONSTANTLY interrupts me, then almost immediately apologizes for interrupting me. He says it's because he has ADD. I had a hard time paying attention in school because I was bored, so I think I have some idea about ADD, and that maybe I had/have it, too. But I don't interrupt people while we're talking. At least, I don't think I do. No one's ever told me I do. I feel like people use the excuse of having ADD or ADHD (my brother, if "H" stands for "hostility") to excuse any and every bit of rudeness they inject into a situation. My friend I first spoke of knows he does this. That's the reason for the apology. I wish he'd just stop interrupting. But I'm not holding my breath.

• Who knew that the OP worked with Sarah Palin?

• i am in exactly the same situation where a colleague of mine continues to complete my sentences because she thinks i am cool enough to grab public attention. she tries to interrupt interrupt and interrupt me all the time. she even leads me to embarassing situations where both of us are found speaking at the same time and in the end it is me who decides to quit and leave the conversation!

  sarah

• My mother does this on the phone. She calls because she has to, then tells everyone she knows she called me so they will know how involved and caring she is (she also tells everyone about any money she sends). But she will talk over your sentences; she'll ask a question then answer it herself.

• My family is just the opposite - everything must be repeated twice. Example: I ask a question and any family member will automatically reply "What?" I finally got so sick of asking simple questions twice that I wouldn't repeat the question. The family member almost always responds, therefore they really did hear the question. WTF?

• My family is exactly the same, R107. "What??" to every question. It drives me bugfuck. I too stopped repeating myself and they have the balls to get mad at _me_.

• If it is any consolation, to see this repeated, I agree with reply #7, "ADHD...". Not that there are not other reasons, but this is definitely one of them. My mother does this, always has - it can be really heartbreaking to a child because it give the message one is not listened to. Soo.... if you have a parent that does this to you, be consoled that sometimes it is simply that they can't help themselves. ADHD, or ADD types sometimes, but not in everyone, tend to blurt out whatever comes to mind immediately. They learn to get it out before they forget because many have short-term memory difficulties, or they may not filter relative to what is supposed to be attended to, properly. So, the upside is, once you get that, you learn to be a more compassionate person. 's a tough lesson about the reality of human relations, and love. Hope this helps someone out there.

• I don't know anyone who does this. I think I would want to slap someone like this. I can't stand to watch Chris Matthews. I'd just shove my fist in his face.

• I have two friends who are very bad conversationalists. The guy goes on endless monologues where he tells the same story over and over again just from different angles. The woman also talks a lot and she quite often interrupts people. I think they both don't realise this. Like they are on a one track mind when it comes to talking. I quite often wonder about this and how people are wired differently when it comes to paying attention and being interested in your environment and other people around them. Would be interesting to find out what an expert on social interactions has to say about this.

  Anonymous

• A number of the people being discussed sound like they have Histrionic Personality Disorder. My mum's been diagnosed with it and it's really hard to get a word in when she starts one of her rambling monologues. She also constantly interrupts people, walks into rooms talking loudly and expects other people to stop their conversations mid sentence to listen to her. She's always been volatile, self involved and attention seeking, the "life of the party" but difficult to live with everyday. The psychiatric diagnosis coalesced many of her behaviours and made good sense. Unfortunately the disorder can't be medicated or cured- only managed through Behavioural Cognitive Therapy, Biofeedback and similar techniques. And many HPD people stop going to treatments because they crave novelty.

• OP, is she italian?

• May I suggest the following, which works pretty well with mouthy teenagers as well. Raise your hand in a non-threatening manner, look them in the eye. When they return eye contact, calmly say with authority, "I'm sorry, please let me finish." If you are doing this on someone's behalf, don't make eye-contact. Continue looking towards the one who was speaking and make the hand gesture at the interrupter. Chances are, these folks are aware they have this problem. No need to make them feel badly.

• She reminds me of Indecisive Dave, R9.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DKRPcssq-7Us