Don’t you hate it when…
…someone finishes your sentences.
You’ve got a brilliant thought to share and…
…your friend shares it for you.
Like that killer joke with…
…the great punch line.
Yeah, the one about…
…the guy running to the restroom.
Sometimes it can…
…work.
But sometimes…
…it doesn’t.
No, it gets really…
…creepy?
Annoying. Like when I’m trying to tell you about…
…that great ski weekend.
The great church service where…
…the band really rocked it.
Where the pastor totally connected with me. And I realized…
…he’s a great speaker.
That I really need to make some changes in my…
…prayer life.
Listening skills.
Oh, um, yeah.
Scientists estimate that our brains can process up to 25,000 words per minute, but a normal speaking pace is only 140-160 words per minute. Since my brain is zipping along about 150 times faster than my friend is speaking, I really have to guard against jumping to conclusions.
Interruptions never build intimate relationships.
But you can reverse this tendency. Resist the urge to run ahead, to interrupt, to anticipate where your conversation partner is going. You can do it. You can reverse the tendency to interrupt.
I shared a series of messages on Relationship Builders And Killers, if you want to dig deeper into this topic.
March 19, 2010 at 7:07 am
I didn’t think about the “jumping to conclusions”. That thought will help me to be a better listener by letting people finish their thoughts. I do also think that sometimes it is nice to have someone finish a sentence for you (not every sentence!) because then it lets you know that they are really following what you’re saying and understanding (or possibly not understanding).
LikeLike
March 19, 2010 at 11:20 am
There’s another one of these, I forget what it’s about but it’s awesome too.
LikeLike
March 19, 2010 at 1:57 pm
If you find that video, please post it here.
–CTO
LikeLike
March 22, 2010 at 5:45 pm
WELL, I listened to the video all the way through without interrupting (lol)! That’s pretty cool. I’m still new at technology so I didn’t know to press the arrow to play the video.
I have seen those before, very clever.
LikeLike