It’s nothing new to me when someone cuts me off as I am speaking and goes off on sharing their own thoughts. As always, I would stop talking so that I can hear what the other person is trying to say. “Don’t interrupt others or talk over people when they are speaking. It’s very rude,” is what I was taught. I learned this lesson when I was in elementary school, when I leaned against my mom after Sunday school one day and started talking to her, trying to get her attention, as she was talking with my godmother. I was scolded immediately – not by my mom, but by my godmother, for not having manners.
You would think that adults have mastered this basic life skill with the extra years of life they’ve had, but it was quite the shock when I learned that some adults are more aggressive and reckless versions of ill-mannered kids. They will cut you off mid-sentence and continue talking over you, not just once, but two, three, or four times in a single conversation. Each interruption is like a slash through your heart, killing your mood and spirit, one slash at a time.
It’s rather frustrating for an introvert when we decide to share the silent voice in our heads but instead get silenced before we finish sharing our thoughts and opinions – our valuable thoughts and opinions, if I may add. We listen to the issue presented, analyze it in our heads, and when we come up with a solution or an idea we think is worth sharing, we like to share it – but only if the person on the receiving end is willing to listen. It’s not that we need someone to beg us to talk, but if we feel that there is no mutual respect or team collaboration going on, then we’re not very inclined to have to talk over you if we get cut off. We’re not here to argue that our idea is better – we just want to share another solution for the team to consider.
It’s quite possible that people like talking over me because I haven’t reached a certain position nor am I “the type” that everyone would immediately classify as having great leadership potential, but whatever it may be, silencing our voices will not do anybody any good. Everyone should be treated with respect regardless of their age, position, gender, ethnicity, or personality.