Ever encounter someone who feels a need to comment on everything even when they don’t know shit about a topic? Of course, you have. They drone on, talk over, disregard others and generally control the conversation.
When I’m in this situation, the angel on my shoulder tells me to hush up and just let it be because they are already doing themselves damage in the eyes of everyone in the room. But the devil in me wants to scream and tell them to shut the hell up!
Then I realize I can be a grownup and not react so extremely.
I’ve tried all of these lines with decent success.
(First, you have to wait for the person to take a breath.)
“Thanks, moving on to our next agenda item.” “Let’s hear from Zoey now.” “Please stop. You’re dominating the conversation and we need to hear from others.” If I’m in a one-on-one discussion with this person, I usually say “Can we switch from a monologue to a dialogue?”
When none of these lines work, I sit back and silently psychoanalyze the person. It may not change the situation but at least I’m amused in the meantime!
