How to Gracefully Interrupt Ramblers at Work

Navigating conversations with colleagues who ramble can be challenging. Here are eight tips to help you interrupt a rambler gracefully at work.

Eight Tips to Gracefully Interrupt Ramblers at Work

1. Share a Related Story
   If they’re talking about a difficult project, you can say, “Oh, I have a similar experience.”
2. Avoid Affirming Body Language
   Stop nodding, as it may unconsciously signal interest. When you stop, they may notice and pause to check in with you.
3. Raise Your Hand
   If stopping the nodding doesn’t work, physically raise your hand to indicate you want to say something.
4. Help Them Get to the Point
   They might be verbal processors. Help them by saying, “I just want to check for understanding. Is this what you’re saying? Yes or no?”
5. Invite Others to Comment
   In group meetings, invite someone else to share their thoughts. For example, “I’d really like to hear what [Name] has to say about this topic.”
6. Remind Them of Time Constraints
   Say, “I just want to do a time check. We only have 10 minutes left and need to get to the other agenda items.”
7. Suggest a Topic Change
   Use a segue like, “You’re making me think about something else. Do you mind if we change the topic?”
8. Ask for More Time to Think
   Say, “You’ve clearly done a lot of thinking about this. I need more time to think on my own. Can we return to this later?”

I hope you found these eight tips useful. If you did, please click like and share this post. For more tips, check out our video on interrupting ramblers in social settings and more on our blog.