The Power of Shutting Up

SHHHHH!!!!! 

Have you ever been around someone who speaks out of turn, engages in other people's conversations, and interrupts others as they speak?  Have you noticed that these are the people who ramble on and on and totally miss the point being made?  Did you surmise that these people are the hardest to work with and are normally the troublemakers?  Well, these are people you just want to tell "Shut Up!"

So how do you handle them?  Short of lashing out of them, you must be politically correct and keep it professional. 

1). The first start is a blank stare. This normally calms them down once they recognize they have no audience.  They will at first ask if you understand them.  Resist responding and keep staring.  Once they stop talking, proceed with your statement. 

2). Politely ask to "take a step back".  Sometimes this will throw them off because they are so busy going forward, they forgot what the previous step was.  Take advantage of the moment that they are confused. 

3). Ignore them for your own sanity. Get up, stretch, stare at a computer screen, or pretend you are reading text messages or tweets. They hate being ignored because they like attention so this will bring them down a notch. Once they stop talking, use #1 or #2 as appropriate. 

And if none of these tricks work, ask to be excused from their presence and go scream in the bathroom. Come back and try one of these tactics until it takes away their power of having an audience and feedback so they can ultimately be reduced to silence.

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