Learning to Talk

Today's topic is about TALKING
First, people who talk right through you. These are the people who start talking and then when you want to interject your own comment, they just talk right over you and don't stop when they see you're talking! Yes, it is rude and annoying when people interrupt but this is different.

Example:
Jim Bob: So I went to the store the other day and I was looking for milk and I kept going up and down the aisles and I couldn't find it, so I asked this guy where it was and he said it was in the back.
Me: Yeah I can never find the milk either in...
Jim Bob (talking right over me): The milk is so expensive and blah blah blah blah
Me: [Silence because I have to give up trying to talk]
Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best example but it's kind of hard to explain my point on a blog. It seems like in a normal conversation, people learn that you have to give and take a little...you can't just talk for 20 minutes and expect that the listener is just going to sit there silently nodding, you know, unless he's your counselor.

Have you ever hung out with someone who was a really good listener and let you talk about yourself for a long time? Then you go home thinking, "Man that guy is awesome!" but really you don't know the person any better than before, but the fact that he was interested in YOU is what makes him so awesome!

Next: People who are 'one-uppers' in conversation. Example:
Me: My sister had a baby who was born at 23 weeks...we're pretty worried about her.
Jim Bob: My uncle's friends nephew's dad's sister had a baby who was born at 20 weeks and it died.
Me: (Thinking) Who the heck cares about your uncle's friends nephew's dad's sister? And how did we get talking about YOU?
These people seem to only be able to take your topic and turn it around to how it applies to them rather than maybe asking follow-up questions about what you were saying. Basically they make what you said completely invalid and forgotten.

Last: People who don't know when to cut off the conversation. This reminds me of a Dilbert--I can just see it now...(the screen goes fuzzy)
Dilbert (upon entering someone's office): Hey Jim Bob, I noticed that there was a technical problem with the technical detail. What's up with that?
Jim Bob: Oh I was going to send out a memo but then I got sidetracked when I saw this YouTube video about blah blah blah blah blah blah. But basically the problem is that the technical people don't want to do this and that and other technical jargon.
Dilbert (trying to leave): Okay, I was just wondering, thanks....
Jim Bob: yeah I was going to send out a memo about that but like I said, I got sidetracked with the YouTube video and blah blah blah blah...
Dilbert: Yeah, that's okay, thanks anyway (still trying to leave)
Jim Bob: It's funny when that happens, it seems like blah blah blah blah...

You get my point? I didn't come here to hear your life story. I had ONE question. It's like these people are so desperately lonely for conversation that anyone who enters their office is like their new best friend. I tend to avoid asking these people questions whenever possible.
So the moral of the story is...let's learn to be better talkers AS WELL AS listeners. People will just like you more. And special thanks to Jim Bob for taking the fall on this one.