Have you ever been interrupted in a conversation or a business meeting and felt unsure of what to do?
What can you do when a noisy native speaker interrupts you?
How can you handle this type of situation?
If you have ever been in a conversation that has been interrupted, especially with a native speaker at work, then you know that these interruptions can really make you feel unsure.
We’re going to talk about why these interruptions happen, and how to work through them so that your voice is heard.
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It’s A Bit of a Cultural Thing
Big personalities seem to have more control within the US and especially in conversations.
People in the US tend to get excited about certain topics, and it may be perceived that natives talk over each other.
This can be intimidating to people from other cultures, as they aren’t sure where to fit into the conversation.
People may perceive Americans as aggressive communicators, but that’s not always the case.
Native speakers in the US are taught to speak out if they have feelings on a certain topic, which is great.
To others outside of this culture though, this speaking out can be perceived as aggressive or rude.
This is mostly because it is not how conversations go in other cultures, and it’s not stressed to speak your mind.
So How Do You Manage This Situation?
How can we find our place in controversial situations or conversations we don’t feel comfortable with?
You have to practice your power and your skills to handle these situations.
You have to learn how to fit into conversations when you perceive that natives are speaking aggressively.
It’s not always easy to do this, but it’s a part of mastering the language and succeeding at work if this is happening in the business world.
You have something to say and you want to say it–but somebody cuts you off.
This person jumps in and you don’t get to say what you wanted to say, and you end up having to swallow your words a bit.
The person that is interrupting will cut you off mid word because they have something they want to say right at that moment.
That person has to be reminded in the right way that you both have important things to say.
You could say something like “hold on a minute, let me finish what I was saying.”
That little reminder said in the right way can be an eye opener for the person you are talking to that there are two people in this conversation.
You Need To Show Your Confidence and Value In Conversation
You are in this conversation and you deserve to speak just as much as anyone else.
It’s about staking your space–this is not just about speaking perfect English.
You have to show that you have a place in this conversation and you deserve that.
People have really good ideas, and if you have that valuable item to share then you need to put it out there.
You have to recognize your own worth and that comes through in confidence in staking your place in this conversation.
It doesn’t matter if you are just learning English or if you are a native, learning how to stake your place in a conversation is important.
You want to be sure that you get your voice heard, and so knowing how to stop interruptions is a big part of that.
It May Be A Simple Misunderstanding To Work Through
If you frame it in the right way, you won’t offend but rather inform.
Know that sometimes people are just so excited to speak or tell you about something that they don’t even realize that they are being rude by interrupting.
Though this style may come across aggressive, just letting the other person know that you have something to say may be all that is needed.
You will feel like you’ve won a small victory in conversation–and you just might make somebody aware of interruptions that they don’t realize that they make.
Takeaway
If you aren’t used to the way that natives speak in conversations, sometimes it can be frustrating.
You might feel intimidated when dealing with somebody who interrupts, but remember that you have a place in this conversation.
Know that you have valuable things to add and don’t let the interruptions keep you from doing so.
The more that you can learn how to effectively manage these interruptions, the more it will build your confidence.
This is how you handle conversations with anybody, and how you keep making valuable connections!
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
