Successful managers have bad manners, sometimes.
You aren’t going far if you don’t learn how to interrupt people who talk too much. Managing isn’t therapy.
Interrupt:
Successful managers have bad manners when team members talk on and on.
People who talk on and on want sympathy, not solutions.
7 ways successful managers interrupt:
Use one of these seven questions to interrupt people who are talking too long. Don’t wait. Interrupt.
- “What’s your question?”
- “What’s next?”
- “What would you like to do about this?”
- “What are you trying to accomplish?”
- “If things were going perfectly, what would it look like?”
- “And what do you want?”
- “What’s your conclusion about this?”
I used #1 while answering questions after a recent presentation. There was a long line of people who had questions. I decided to interrupt one participant who was sharing too much information.
“What’s your question?”
Without taking a breath, she asked her question. I answered and said, “Thank you.” I fear we might still be sitting there if I hadn’t interrupted.
4 tips for having bad manners:
- Speak gently. Tone matters. Frustration doesn’t create connection.
- Set a time limit when the conversation begins. “I’m sorry, but I only have ten minutes right now. What’s your question?”
- Insert an “and” or “so” before you interrupt. “So I’m just wondering what you want?”
- Don’t say, “How can I help?” until they offer their own solutions (unless it’s to help them find solutions).
Successful managers learn how to interrupt in productive ways.
Warning:
Some of us could use a little more patience when it comes to listening. You may need to practice saying, “And what else?” rather than interrupting.
How might managers help people get to the point?