Think better, talk better

Having a certain style of communication may have a deep impact on your interpersonal relations, so being aware of your conversational flaws can be very important. Once you know where your weaknesses lie, change your style to overcome them. Because holding a decent conversation is not very easy, but ruining one is.

1. Not listening to others might be the worst offence. Actually not listening is rude, but hearing what others have to say and just ignoring it is just as bad. Someone is taking the time to speak their mind and making a point, so taking what they have to say into consideration is the least you can do.
2. Interrupting someone. Just don’t. Nothing is as annoying as constantly being interrupted, especially when you have a good reason to talk. If you just let someone finish what they need to say, it will be for the good of the conversation.
3. Dominating the conversation way too much. Especially for the extraverts among us, being overtly dominant is something to watch out for. If you do it too much, people might not want to talk to you anymore, because they can’t get a decent point in. Taking a step down and letting someone else talk might even be refreshing every once in a while.
4. Blabbering on and on. Everyone has experienced this kind of conversation, where someone is just going on and on and never quite getting to the point. When you talk way too much without actually saying something meaningful, people will stop listening altogether. Which might result in missing information. Do yourself a favour and get to the point.
5. Asking too many questions can be annoying, and it can be creepy. Too much interest in certain matters is just not appropriate, so be careful. Same goes for going into details of details of details, sometimes it’s just unnecessary to ask so many questions.
6. Not thinking twice before saying anything is often the main reason for conflict. Sometimes things just don’t come out right, realizing this is the first step. Taking a step down, and finding a better way of saying what you want to say will benefit the conversation.
7. Don’t be a dictator. Leaving no room for other opinions will easily send your co-workers running. Nobody likes to have their ideas and initiatives getting shot down all the time, so be careful.