Interrupting

People interrupting others while they speak seems to be increasing nowadays. It’s an extremely frustrating behavior that is off-putting and can make people perceive you as disrespectful.

However, many people appear to tolerate this. The speaker might allow you to trample all over their comments, but deep down, they don’t respect you for this. They may not say it out loud, but you can tell when someone doesn’t approve of your behavior.

There are a range of body language cues that can help you curb this bad behavior. Pursed lips indicate annoyance and distaste; nostrils flaring and frowning are signs the person is irritated.

On the flip side, a person looking into your eyes during a conversation means they are paying attention, while breaking eye contact or looking away means that person is uncomfortable or hiding how they truly feel.

To prevent people from losing respect for you, let others finish their thought and be okay with some silence in a conversation. Cutting in demonstrates a lack of faith in our own words.

Why? Because we are continually compelled to prove ourselves, rather than relaxing and giving the other space, which is a trait seen in leaders.