When you have a conversation with someone with an opposing view, how do you handle trying to get your point across?

Having a conversation can be a challenge when you are dealing with someone with a strong personality.  A lot of the time I have found people with strong personalities will try to take over the conversation and not let you get a word in edgewise.  So what do you do?

It’s all about the Interjections!

Before we get into the list, what is an interjection?

  1. 1a :  the act of uttering exclamations :  ejaculationb :  the act of putting in between :  interposition

  2. 2:  an ejaculatory utterance usually lacking grammatical connection: such asa :  a word or phrase used in exclamation (such as Heavens! Dear me!)b :  a cry or inarticulate utterance (such as Alas! ouch! phooey! ugh!) expressing an emotion

  3. 3:  something that is interjected or that interrupts

 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interjection

 

There are a couple of words/phrases that we use around the house to stop the conversation a get a word in, and trust me, in the #TeamBz house we can all go hard in a conversation.

This list is not in any particular order:

  • Pause
  • Hold Up
  • But (This is said sternly with additional words added at the end, i.e. look, listen, you know)
  • Well then

One of the things you have be conscious of when interjecting in a conversation is getting straight to the point.  One of the frustrating things is when someone jumps in the conversation and holds the conversation hostage, giving a bunch of preface/disclaimer before stating the point they jumped in for.  The craziest thing is when all the preface is done and they don’t remember what they were going to say.

When I say conversation or communication is a thinking man’s game (genderless), I’m saying you have to be strategic.  Out think the person with whom you are talking to.  Notice I said out think, not out talk with a bunch of words just to stay in control of the conversation.  A lot of the way you are able to keep up with the conversation, debate a comment, and /or jump in with an interjection is to LISTEN. Listen more than you talk.  When you speak make that time and your words powerful.

If you have any great words/phrases/ways to jump in a conversation to make your point but not be offensive, put it in the comments I would love to read them and your thoughts.

I think I may make this the first post in a Thinking Man’s Game series.  I have a couple of other angles to come at this.  Obviously this is about communication and interjecting in conversation.