Dear Blake,
How do you cut off a person who talks constantly without a break? By the time there’s a lull in her speech, I have forgotten what I wanted to add to the conversation.
Signed, Gayle
From Atlanta, Georgia
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Dear Gayle,
People like that can be very irritating because they want to verbally hog up the entire “interaction”. I would suggest you do anything necessary to level the playing field, short of having their voice box surgically removed. Here are some of my ideas. Pretend to nod off when they’re speak, and when they stop talking because they think you’re asleep, wake up and start getting some words in edgewise. Or, you can make them repeat what they say over and over, until they get so frustrated and exhausted, that they eventually want to limit their self-absorbed one-sided nonstop conversations with you. Or maybe even do something that will induce them to ask you a question, which forces them to yield the floor to you. Like start singing off key every time they speak, or circle them with an angry expression on your face while carrying a jack handle. But sometimes, actions speak louder than words. So, the next time they start their relentless rambling, literally put a sock in their mouth between sentences. If they continue talking, then sock them in the mouth. I hope this helps.
Blake