3 ideas and a question: Conversational rollercoasters
Attempts at connection can inadvertently fuel disconnection instead. Here are three to avoid: Boomerasking, stealing someone's story, and being a Besserwisser.
Idea 1
"Boomerasking" is asking someone a question primarily to get asked the same question back. This conversational boomerang is considered a faux pas.
— Boomerasking is a big, self-centered foul in conversation
Idea 2
Stealing someone's story is pulling the conversation back to yourself before the other person is done. Enzo, the canine narrator of The Art of Racing in the Rain, describes it this way: "People, if you pay attention to them, change the direction of one another’s conversations constantly. It’s like having a passenger in your car who suddenly grabs the steering wheel and turns you down a side street."
— Be a better listener with these three everyday practices
Idea 3
In German, a Besserwisser is a know-it-all who offers unsolicited advice or corrections to what someone just said, interrupting their flow. When we give unsolicited advice, we fail to distinguish feeling helpful from being helpful.
Question
What does it feel like when a conversation thread is wrenched away from you?
Excellent - thanks so much Tammy. Most of us are guilty of all of these and also know what it feels like to be on the receiving end. Really useful and important tips and reminders. Hope your Summer is going well and that you're having a break to enjoy it sometime :).
Suggestion to do a post on how best to politely interrupt someone else. As an introvert, I have found that if I don't interrupt the talkers/extroverts, the conversation ends before I get an opportunity to contribute. This is particularly true in business meetings.