No one likes a conversational bully.
They don’t pause to allow others to speak. The ignore questions and continue to make their point. When someone tries to get a word in edge-wise, they say, “I’m not finished. Let me make this one other point.”
They seldom, if ever, improve relationships through conversation.
Have you been a conversational bully this week? Think about the presidential debates last night. Several candidates bullied moderator Charles Gibson, and droned on and on, tacking on additional observations to try and persuade a national audience. Instead of being persuasive, they came off as arrogant, angry or Gore circa 2000.
No one ever made a deciding point in bonus-time. You either make it right away, or you don’t.
Next time you are in a conversation, practice restraint. Show your confidence by inserting interruptable pauses at the end of major points. Condense your ideas into simple statements that leave airtime for other people to react and talk. The more you refine this technique, the better you’ll do in your conversational life.
