When I find myself interrupting a conversation, it is usually because I am excited to make an observation, a point, or share my opinion. But I have learned that what is important to me, may not be important to the other person.
I hate to be interrupted before I am able to finish my thoughts. Others are too. So why do we tend to do it so often? For me it seems to happen more with people that I know well. In my head I can finish their thoughts, so I don’t listen as closely.
To become a better listener, I had to make an effort not to interrupt. I had to stop finishing other people’s sentences. I had to focus intently on their words, not my thoughts.
The most important lesson I learned was that in many conversations, people just want someone to listen. The topic of the conversation is not even important. They just wanted to be heard.
We can all be better listeners. It starts with being quiet.
“When you interrupt, you’ve stopped listening. People need to be heard.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Thanks, great article.