How can you avoid interrupting others when they are speaking?

1 Recognize your triggers

The first step to avoid interrupting others is to understand why you do it. Do you interrupt because you are impatient, bored, excited, defensive, or competitive? Do you feel anxious, angry, or insecure? Do you have a strong opinion or a personal experience to share? Recognizing your triggers can help you become more aware of your emotions and impulses, and control them better.

2 Practice active listening

Active listening is a skill that involves paying full attention to the speaker, showing interest and empathy, and asking relevant questions. It also means avoiding distractions, judgments, assumptions, and interruptions. To practice active listening, you need to focus on the speaker's words, tone, body language, and emotions. You also need to acknowledge what they say with verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, smiling, or saying "I see" or "I understand".

3 Wait for your turn

One of the most important rules of etiquette and respect is to wait for your turn to speak. Interrupting others can make them feel frustrated, disrespected, or ignored. It can also disrupt the flow of the conversation and create confusion or conflict. To wait for your turn, you need to be patient, polite, and mindful. You also need to look for cues that indicate that the speaker is finished or ready for feedback, such as a pause, a question, or a change of topic.

4 Use a reminder

Sometimes, you may find it hard to resist the urge to interrupt others, especially if you are passionate, eager, or disagreeable. In such cases, you may need a reminder to help you stay silent and listen. A reminder can be a physical object, such as a pen, a ring, or a bracelet, that you can hold, squeeze, or touch whenever you feel like interrupting. It can also be a mental note, such as a word, a phrase, or an image, that you can repeat or visualize to calm yourself down.

5 Apologize and recover

Despite your best efforts, you may still interrupt others occasionally, either by accident or by necessity. For example, you may need to interrupt someone who is rambling, rude, or misleading. Or you may unintentionally cut someone off because of a technical glitch, a misunderstanding, or a distraction. In such situations, you need to apologize and recover gracefully. You can do this by acknowledging your mistake, expressing your regret, and inviting the speaker to continue or resume.

6 Seek feedback

The last tip to avoid interrupting others is to seek feedback from others. Feedback can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, measure your progress, and improve your performance. You can ask for feedback from people you trust, such as your friends, family, colleagues, or mentors. You can also observe yourself, either by recording your conversations, keeping a journal, or reflecting on your experiences. Feedback can help you learn from your mistakes, celebrate your achievements, and set your goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?