Pet Peeve #39
I HATE it when someone talks over someone else. It drives me absolutely insane. It is beyond rude. But even worse than the rude over-talker, is the over-talker who starts over-talking and completely changes the subject, like you were never saying anything to begin with.
I have a neighbor who is basically a nice guy. He thinks he knows everything, which gets on some people's nerves, but me, I just see it as a cry from his low self-esteem. So I don't take it personally when he launches into an "I know more than you" tirade and tries to take control of the conversation. I do, however, draw the line when he starts talking like I was sitting quietly. I started to jump into a conversation, and he began talking. I sat there quietly fuming for a few moments, but I kept my cool, silently fighting the urge to thump him squarely on the back of the head. A few moments later, I saw an opportunity to point it out.
"Did you not realize I was saying something a moment ago?" I asked him quietly.
"What do you mean?" he said with a puzzled look on his face.
"I was speaking, and you began talking like I wasn't saying anything. You've done it quite a few times now. I just wanted to know if you found me that boring or if you were just being rude." He looked back at me with a surprised look on his face.
"Gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was doing that," he apologized. I somehow doubted that, but I decided to forgive and forget. It didn't happen again the rest of the evening.
Sometimes it pays to speak what's on your mind, as long as you wait your turn.
I have a neighbor who is basically a nice guy. He thinks he knows everything, which gets on some people's nerves, but me, I just see it as a cry from his low self-esteem. So I don't take it personally when he launches into an "I know more than you" tirade and tries to take control of the conversation. I do, however, draw the line when he starts talking like I was sitting quietly. I started to jump into a conversation, and he began talking. I sat there quietly fuming for a few moments, but I kept my cool, silently fighting the urge to thump him squarely on the back of the head. A few moments later, I saw an opportunity to point it out.
"Did you not realize I was saying something a moment ago?" I asked him quietly.
"What do you mean?" he said with a puzzled look on his face.
"I was speaking, and you began talking like I wasn't saying anything. You've done it quite a few times now. I just wanted to know if you found me that boring or if you were just being rude." He looked back at me with a surprised look on his face.
"Gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was doing that," he apologized. I somehow doubted that, but I decided to forgive and forget. It didn't happen again the rest of the evening.
Sometimes it pays to speak what's on your mind, as long as you wait your turn.
posted by Kristie at 3:34 PM
1 Comments:
I wonder if he really knew he was doing it?
You can't come to my house. Sorry, I live with over-talkers. My in-laws are the same way. When I first met them 5 years ago, I was agast at how much they interupted people. My step-daughter is the absolute worst.
It's maddening. I learned to not talk at certain times and let it fly off my back. I appreciate my family more for their speaking skills now.
~Jef
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