Are You Guilty of These Annoying Behaviors?
Don’t underestimate the power of conversation. A good chat with loved ones recharges our batteries and brings us even closer together. A bad conversation, however, is riddled with interruptions and personal questions. Let’s dive into the worst behaviors and how to avoid them!
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1. Interrupting Someone
We learned pretty early that interrupting is rude, but apparently, some of us forgot that lesson. There’s really no reason to talk over others, especially as an adult. If you absolutely have to say something, a simple “excuse me” first goes a long way.
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2. Steering it Back to You
People want to tell you about their day—let them! Waiting for your turn to speak or immediately veering a conversation back to you won’t bode well. The kids call it “main character syndrome,” but we just call it rude.
3. Constant Sarcasm
What’s a little sarcasm between friends? Well, there’s a difference between gentle jostling and flat-out cruelty. A lot of the time, people disguise their poor conversational skills behind sarcasm, and all we can do is watch everything go south.
4. Not Listening
People know when you’re not listening to them and it’s one of the worst feelings. If you’re easily distracted, head to a cozy spot that invites intimate conversation. If you’re just not interested, at least try and fake it!
5. Looking at Your Phone
We’re not talking about checking the time on your phone. No, we’re talking about people glued to their screens in the middle of a conversation. It’s not only rude, but it’s a quick way to tell friends they aren’t important.
6. Never Asking Questions
Active listening is more than just nodding along—it’s about asking the right questions, too. Follow-up questions let people know that you’re not only listening, but you’re also interested in what they have to say.
7. Overly Personal Questions
On the flip side, you don’t want to dive head-first into personal questions. While best friends tell each other everything, it’s harder to ask a coworker about health concerns or marital problems. And you shouldn't anyway!
8. Unsolicited Advice
If someone wants advice, they’ll ask. If not, you don’t need to come in with unsolicited tips. Even if you think you’re helping, a lot of people misconstrue it as invasive or unwarranted, and it’s a good way to sour relationships.
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9. Nonstop Talking
People talk about interruptions, but monopolizing a conversation is just as annoying! Rambling like the Energizer Bunny won’t win you any friends, and it signals to others that they can’t really talk to you.
10. Sharing Snippets With Others
Juicy gossip or not, don’t share what was said. It’s good peace of mind for everyone to assume things are said in confidence. There’s nothing worse than meeting a coworker’s partner when they already know everything about you.
11. Finishing Sentences
It’s only cute to finish your partner’s sentences. When it comes to other people, let them work out what they’re trying to say without butting in. Not everyone is the clearest thinker and stepping in before they can finish puts a lot of people on edge.
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12. Talking Louder
Interrupting is bad enough, but it’s somehow worse to speak louder and louder until everyone else stops talking. You’re in a coffee shop, not at a concert, so use your inside voice and wait your turn to speak up.
13. Not Following Up
Life gets hectic quickly. It’s not easy to remember every little thing your friend told you last week, but following up on important events shows you care. For example, if they told you about a job interview they had, ask about it!
14. Being “Brutally Honest”
“Brutal honesty” is a lot like sarcasm—it’s often a thinly veiled excuse to mistreat someone. There’s a reason it’s called “brutal,” and it’s not because it makes people feel good! Sharing honest opinions isn’t the same as just waving off rude comments.
15. Ignoring Opinions
If you ask for someone’s opinion, it’s important to listen. You don’t need to agree with everything they say, but ignoring them after explicitly asking their view rubs people the wrong way.
16. One-Upping Others
It’s nice that your kid scored an A, but mine got an A+! Oh, you just found a new apartment? Well, I’m buying a house! No one likes that person, so don’t one-up others. There’s more than enough space for all of our accomplishments.
17. Always Complaining
It’s cathartic to complain about work—it’s annoying to complain about everything. At the end of the day, people are quickly drained by Negative Nancys. If you never have anything good to say, don’t expect too many lunch invites.
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18. Making it About Gossip
We all love a bit of gossip, heavy emphasis on “bit.” Constantly gossiping about others is high school behavior, and people don’t want to spend time with someone like that. We also can’t help but wonder what those people say about us!
19. Oversharing
We asked how you were, not for a play-by-play! Oversharing might feel good in the moment, but it also forces others to play therapist or scramble for an appropriate response. There’s no reason to tell your boss that your sister’s in the throes of a divorce.
20. Multitasking
We love multitasking nowadays, so why not do our laundry on the phone? Surely friends won’t mind if we check our work emails, right? Put those distractions away! A good conversation can last for hours when you pay attention.
