Champion Talkers/strategies to avoid

R

Rose65

Well-known Member
Location
United Kingdom
You know the ones, the people who simply go on and on. You meet them while out dog walking, or in the supermarket, or neighbours who stop by as you are gardening out front. They begin quite harmlessly but half an hour later or even an hour, you are still standing listening to every detail of their operation, ailments or personal problems. Trapped, knowing you are hopelessly behind schedule, you just can't get away without being rude.
Some people just do not know the meaning of brevity!

I have strategies to counteract this. When dog walking I never break my stride if a known Talker is advancing towards me. I simply give a pleasant greeting, involving a weather comment but walk on - don't look back or falter. If gardening, I continued edging or weeding and after a brief greeting just don't look up again.
If truly stuck, on no account ask questions or introduce a new subject to a Talker. Life is too short.

Am I the only one? I just love solitude.
 

yes the continue on system works for some .... but unfortunately i have a few who follow walking or worse yet decide to help with yard work.....
I often have an "appointment" to leave for.
 

You must appear as someone they would like to know. Take it as a compliment.
I love my solitude too. That's good because I have plenty of it!
I talk to people sometimes but don't know their names and will never see them again.
I'm always alone.
I guess one thing you could do is suddenly say, "OHOh! I've gotta go!, Bye!"
 
I don't mind them at all ..for a little while if I'm in the garden . There's a couple of local people.. Frank whose in his 80's and very active and always has something to talk about, whether it's his latest venture or his latest vehicle... ..or the lady who walks her dog about 6 times a day who stops and talks to everyone she sees in their gardens ... If after a little while it gets too much for me, I always just tell them I must get on with what I'm doing or I'll never finish ..or that I must go rescue the dinner before it burns..
 
Grab the end of one of their statements and use it to take the conversational lead. For example if they're talking about their operation, say, "Oh how awful! My friend just had the worst time at the hospital it took seven hours before the bleeding..." by then they're gone. Such people are invariably bad listeners.

I'm something of an expert on this because my husband actually is a world champion talker. Clocked at four or five hours straight without pausing.
 
I will usually talk to people for a few minutes and then say got to go and walk away. Occasionally I have talked to someone a long time because we are having a good conversation and both of us are enjoying it. I have 2 Maltese that I walk for 35 minutes a day and people are attracted to them.
 
I don't like these "Blabber Mouths." I have met a few in my times. They are so booooorrring! I used to say that my charge is $40/hour for listening to these boors. That was 20 or 30 years ago.

With inflation, I think my present charge would be more in the area of $70/hour. I'd rather than vacuum floors or wash dishes than to listen to these folks. They don't care a fig about me. All they want to do is listen to their own voices and they drone on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

Champions? NO! Losers? YES!
 
What your post is about is NOT "champion talkers", a poor description, as in those that have strong vocal interpersonal communication skills (like Bill Clinton and many celebrities) but rather a small minority of those that tend to engage others in unbalanced conversations where one person does most of the talking with little listening and tends to not be aware of non-verbal signs the other person may not want to engage so beyond a brief conversation. Most adults that have that juvenile behavior in professional workplace environments tend to quickly receive feedback from others and learn. It is within the larger realm of society of ordinary people with limited social education, many that have never worked in such work places that such is likely to occur. It's unfortunate that so many are afraid to directly confront acquaintances, often friends and relatives that converse like that.
 
I have an old friend who loves to chatter on the phone. Sometimes it has gone on for over an hour, but she never gives me a chance to say what I want. I'm afraid on occasions I have gone to my front door and rung the bell and then I say, "Sorry, someone is at the door, and I have to go" It works a treat.
 
Della said:
Grab the end of one of their statements and use it to take the conversational lead. For example if they're talking about their operation, say, "Oh how awful! My friend just had the worst time at the hospital it took seven hours before the bleeding..." by then they're gone. Such people are invariably bad listeners.

I'm something of an expert on this because my husband actually is a world champion talker. Clocked at four or five hours straight without pausing.
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Now that's interesting. Men generally talk far less than women. Some only grunt. I have had taxi drivers who don't say a word but some who don't shut up. I got a conspiracy theorist the other day, I didn't get a moment peace. He was completely paranoid about everything.
 
oscash said:
I have an old friend who loves to chatter on the phone. Sometimes it has gone on for over an hour, but she never gives me a chance to say what I want. I'm afraid on occasions I have gone to my front door and rung the bell and then I say, "Sorry, someone is at the door, and I have to go" It works a treat.
Click to expand...
Lol! To resort to ringing your own bell.
I just use my answer machine strategically. The most hardened talkers even leave messages so long that they fill it up. One will call it back to continue the message. I let it take the strain.
 

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