What To Do If Someone You Know Talks Too Much

Some people hardly let others get a word in edgewise, making equal communication almost impossible. They just want to brag about their achievements at the NZD Casino. In the following, you will find out which strategies help in dealing with this

Maybe you've already had a conversation with someone who only talks about himself or herself the whole time and interrupts you again and again, or who doesn't give you the opportunity to say something back.

As the other person, you may feel like you can't do much more than nod politely and smile and let the monologue wash over you. However, there are strategies you can use to break up the one-sided conversation situation – without having to be rude.

Reasons for this Behavior

The fact that people talk in this way can have different causes. For example, people with lower self-esteem and, thus, a higher need for attention, have a tendency to talk excessively. In this case, a steady flow of speech can also help to mask insecurities.

Increased activity in the brain may also play a role. If, for example, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for speech processing and production, is overstimulated, this can cause people to behave more impulsively in conversation and to speak up more often and for longer.

A particularly intense form of compulsion to speak is also known in medicine as logorrhea. Constantly speaking up and talking excessively becomes a compulsion for those affected. The phenomenon usually occurs as an accompanying symptom of mental or neurological illnesses. The consumption of alcohol, other drugs or caffeine can also promote the compulsion to talk.

What Helps?

When people keep turning the conversation on themselves, being together can quickly become uncomfortable. In this case, the following strategies can help you break up the situation and allow yourself or other participants to share more of the conversation:

Back to the topic: Most of us react primarily to the topic of a conversation, can identify it and respond to it. So we then share our own experiences only briefly or in relation to the interests of the group. People who talk a lot about themselves, however, do not focus on the topic itself, but only on how they themselves relate to that topic. For example, if a person tells the group that he or she has just returned from London, some people use this opportunity to talk in detail about their own trips to London. In such cases, it is often efficient to wait for a pause in the conversation and shift the focus back to the person who first brought up the topic.

Small group sizes: Group size can greatly affect participation in the conversation. Groups of more than six people tend not to allow some people to speak, or to do so only very briefly. Breaking into several smaller conversations of two, three, or four people encourages equal participation.

Reduce redundancy: Some people not only talk about a particular topic for far too long, but also repeat themselves constantly over time in the process. If this is the case, you can tell the other person in the conversation what you already know about the topic or what the person himself has already told. From this point on, you will have created an opportunity for yourself to share your own thoughts and experiences on the topic.

Change conversational position: One possible cause of excessive talking is that some people view themselves as superior. After all, when people talk about themselves, they perceive themselves as experts. Therefore, frequent talkers like to keep the focus on their activities and experiences, thus maintaining expertise. You can break this up by purposefully shifting the focus of the conversation to another topic in which you or other conversation participants have more experience.

Change your own behavior: Sometimes we unconsciously encourage frequent talkers to continue to dominate the conversation, for example by continuing to nod politely and smile. But signs of impatience (for example, constantly checking your smartphone) can also encourage people to just keep talking. Constant interruptions, on the other hand, can lead to competition and uncomfortable interpersonal tension. You can try keeping as neutral a facial expression as possible, not saying anything and not using gestures or facial expressions.