Phil Cooke

Talking about interrupters, I wonder if some big mega-church and television preachers are more susceptible to suffer from this condition….Any ideas?

Are we living our Christ-like life like a bull in a china shop, rushing through with a singular goal in mind (no matter how noble, or even God-called), shattering fragile things of beauty, (or shattering fragile lifes?).  Or is our choice to realize we have a calling, but that servanthood rises above even our calling and divine purpose. 

A servant is humble, waits to speak, is eager to serve, but doesn’t require thanks.  

Great posts — plus I learned two new words "serial interrupter" and "conversational bullies"  

(and I loved the graphic  accompanying the post!)

I still think you can accomplish that without interrupting….   :-)

Great blog – happens to me all the time, everyday, my husband included is a verbal bully such as getting louder, tone and just plain old cutting me off. Let me also say…..please…that I dont talk much. Have just spent 4 days on a missions trip and was constantly cut off whenever I began to provide an idea or share, in short, point form a story of my own.May have been a cultural thing, mostly South Africans and me an Aussie, I don;t know, but I’d like some tips please, apart from giving up the 3rd time saying ‘doesn’t matter happens all the time’, that drew a look of mild ignorant surprise.

It seems to go along with my ignored and invisible status as well. People constantly bump into me or push past me and I’m a size 12.

Love covers all sins, love waits, love defers etc, but, it’s tedious and demoralisng and while I might be a fabulous listener, I might also have something worthwhile to contribute if I could get the chance to say it.  Agree with the statement and I too avoid the torrent talkers who also dont listen.

An interesting article. Thanks Phil.

I had a manager who, I felt, was a chronic interrupter, and it got on my nerves no end. I felt she was rude, and by not allowing me to finish was jumping to conclusions instead of getting the whole story. Even though we both tried to even this out the relationship was still strained, and I believe this contributed to it.

She would often tell me that for her this was just a normal way of talking and discussing things. She was a vocalizer of thoughts, evaluating and testing them through discussion, rather than in her head, before speaking them. Being much the other way around, I had difficulty in understanding and accepting this.

However, the realization came for me when I was discussing this and other topics with another manager. I realized that I too was interrupting! And whenever I did so, the other party was just patient and silent, waiting for me to finish (and then some!) before continuing on. It came as a shock to me that I too could be as much an interrupter as the very boss who grated so on my nerves.

The moral is, of course, that we are often tested by those that are most like ourselves. I still consider interrupting a bullying technique, and this eye-opening experience has made me more humble, and have a desire for patience.

Blessings,
Phil

What irritates me the most is I wait for the other person to finish – usually… I admit, I interrupt at times too, but I’m trying hard not to – and then when I let them finish their thought and begin mine, they don’t have the courtesy or respect or whatever to wait until I have finished what I have to say, interrupting, often times mid-sentence to tell me whatever they are thinking. It’s supremely frustrating.