A Day In The Life Of A Cat

In one ear...

"If you think that communication is all talk, you haven't been listening." - Ashleigh Brilliant

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I've noticed something....people like to hear themselves talk. I know this isn't breaking news, but sometimes I forget how self-centered people can be.

I think I try to be open to listening to people when they are telling me something. I try not to cut in when they are talking, and if I do, I think I'm pretty good about realizing it and then asking them to continue. But there are some people out there who will cut right in on what you are saying and go off on a ten minute tangent leaving your comments in the dust. As you can imagine, this happened to me. And this person I'm talking about does it all the time. What makes it even more frustrating is this person appears to have no idea they do it.....or they don't care. I'd like to say something to them about it, but it's one of those people who you just know will not take it well. It will either make them defensive or they will look at you with that "What the heck is your problem today?" look. So not only do they like to hear themselves talk, they also can't see their faults. It can be rather annoying to spend any long period of time with this person....

Having said all this, I will now list some general rules to consider when having a conversation with someone:

Everyone should have equal time. If you speak for one minute, you are obliged to shut-up for one minute.

Listen!

If you pause for more than five seconds, you have relinquished your control of conversation. This rule even applies if you have a brain-fart in the middle of your point . . . sorry . . . if you pause five seconds . . . you're done.

Acknowledge the person during conversation so they know you are listening and not thinking about Brad Pitt.

In general, you should keep your dramatic monologue to 15-30 seconds in length.

If the conversation turns boring, excuse yourself to the bathroom. Hopefully the topic will change when you return.

:)

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