Saturday, September 17, 2011

Conversation Stoppers

If you tell a story it is acceptable to speak without interruption for a few minutes. As long as your company bought in to this rule. If you are simply chatting, what is the longest amount of time for which you should narrate?

I heard of a friend a while back who was talking too much without breathing and failed to notice that the line at the other end of the phone was dead. The person he thought he was speaking to called his wife on her mobile to tell her to tell Mr Long-winded that he had lost his audience. Several minutes ago.

It is different in professional situations where I often sit listening to people for a long time helping them to work out their own views by speaking. I like doing that.

But those who talk so much they don't notice no-one is listening any more. Annoying. Or worse; don't care as long as corporeal presence is still going on. Dreadful.

I know some people who need to tell the last story. Who talk to you in the car when you have arrived at their house. Who segue one story into another without breaking for you to comment (I hate this).

Please tell me when I am being boring. And try to notice when you are.

That will be twenty guineas. Good morning.

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