Are You An Interrupter? OR Overlapper?

Are You An Interrupter?  OR Overlapper?

Are You An Interrupter?  OR Overlapper? OR either one from time to time?  So, HOW is it in conversations, do you have that tendency to jump in before the other person is done speaking?  If so, you might be one we'll call as INTERRUPTER, OR in the most diplomatic way, you may be WHAT linguists call as 'COOPERATIVE OVERLAPPER'.  Unfortunately, either way does NOT absolve us for some very minor wrongdoing because like INTERRUPTING, COOPERATIVE OVERLAPPING can be perceived as rude OR dismissive in certain settings or even amongst people📗📙📘

To reference recent researches, COOPERATIVE OVERLAPPING occurs WHEN the listener starts talking along with the speaker, NOT to cut them off BUT rather to validate OR show they're engaged in WHAT the other person is talking about.  This is WHERE a gray area creeps in because when COOPERATIVE OVERLAPPING happens, somehow it encourages the speaker to keep going💥💥💥

Sometimes the cultural aspect creeps in as well just as a recent viral TikTok of a Jewish person WHO defended herself that to interject before the other person is done speaking is actually part of the Jewish style of conversation.  Luckily to most of us, in good conversations, there AREN'T any pauses BUT if there is one, that may be because someone DOESN'T want to be speaking anymore UNLESS they're visibly thinking OR chewing OR something.  BUT to many others, that is NOT the case though😌😌😌

Good enough, for people WHO share the same conversational style, COOPERATIVE OVERLAPPING often has the positive effect of 'greasing rather than gumming up conversations'.  BUT here's the catch.  Amongst those WHO DON'T have such similar conversational styles, it tends to have the opposite effect.  it can fluster the speaker, disrupt the flow of the conversation and may even be viewed as a sign of disrespect❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  There was this reawakening WHEN we got caught with that Covid-19 Pandemic.  Suddenly, Zoom meetings became the norm, the default.  And frankly, many of us were NOT calibrated enough as to HOW to get engaged in those Zoom calls.  BUT that was an outlier because everyday in our life, we got to be consciously aware of the other person's conversational style, lest we end up offending or even ruffling feathers that were seemingly unnecessary.  So, dude, ARE YOU AN INTERRUPTER?  OR OVERLAPPER???