Conversation. Use of English B1+

Interrupting is a conversational minefield. Do it … and you’ll create resentment. Avoid it completely and you’ll become a doormat.

The challenge is to get the job done without coming off … a bigjerk.

Fortunately, the fine art of interrupting a conversation at work is an … skill.

There are four … situations where it's appropriate to interrupt a coworker during a conversation:

During one-on-one conversations:

1. Time. The speaker is wasting your time … about things you consider irrelevant.

2. Interest. The speaker is wasting … time by talking about things you consider boring.

During meetings with more than one person:

3. Focus. The speaker is wasting everyone's time by directing attention to away from the … .

4. Status. You feel the need to establish your … over the speaker in the pecking order.

I realize that #4 might seem negative and narcissistic but I'm writing about corporate realpolitik rather than an ideal world. Also, it's best you know what kind of interrupting is the most likely to … and irritate.

Each these four situations demands a different "best" approach, an approach that does the job (i.e. interrupts successfully) and also leaves the emotional residue that is the most … (to you).

1. How to interrupt when you're too busy to listen.

Your goal is to end the conversation and break away so that you can do something other than talk to the coworker. Your challenge is doing this without making the coworker feel as if they're … .

To do this, you wait for the next conversational pause and then bring up your time conflict in a way that places the blame on … rather than the coworker. Example: "OMG. I really want to hear the rest of this but I can't concentrate while I have to do 'X' right away. You understand, right?"

The question at the end is structured so that it's almost impossible for the coworker not to say "yes," thereby giving you full social permission to leave the conversation and go do … you want to do. Unless the subject matter was highly important to the coworker, it's unlikely that the coworker will bring it up again.

2. How to interrupt somebody who's boring.

Your goal here is not necessarily to leave the conversation but rather to change the … of the conversation to something you find more interesting.

Your challenge is to do this without the coworker realizing that you think they're boring.