Communication is important, this is true. However, annoying conversational habits can be worse than no communication at all. Don’t irritate people.
While we’re out here preaching about the importance of communication with each other, we should take the time to teach about annoying conversational habits as well. Sometimes saying nothing is better than spewing lies or making the whole conversation about yourself, right?
Unlike communication itself, conversational habits are how we try to communicate. While some of these habits are healthy, other ones are not so much. Toxic habits used in conversation can drive people away from you. Let’s learn about those insidious habits.
Annoying conversational habits to avoid
There are several annoying things you can do during a conversation. That’s because many of us have so much to talk about, which means we don’t always truly listen to the other person – actually, we rarely do this.
So, instead of pointing fingers at other annoying conversationalists, let’s look at what we do during communication. Here are a few habits to break.
1. Looking at your phone
Have you noticed how normal it is for everyone to be on their smartphones no matter what they’re doing? They scroll and eat, scroll, and walk, and unfortunately, they scroll and drive too. So, it’s no surprise that they are always doing something, even while having a conversation with someone face to face.
This has become an extremely annoying conversational habit, and it’s killing our personal connection with each other. Put your phone down for a while and just listen.
2. Talking over each other
Interrupting someone when they’re talking is bad, but constantly cutting them off every time they try to speak is just disgusting, people. But it’s okay, I’m not beating you over the head without hitting myself a few times too. We all do this. Why?
Because the world has become so full of information and void of respect that we tend to think what we know is most important. Instead of truly paying attention to what someone else has to say, we’re already putting our next sentences together and taking over. Stop!
3. Trying to ‘one-up’
What this means is when you talk to someone, you’re constantly trying to say something more interesting than what they said before. For instance, if your friend says they received a promotion, and then you say,
“Oh really, I started my own business and even created a website, so I’m right there with you!”
But you don’t really think you’re “right there with them”, you’re trying to better them, or say something that will steal the conversation and give you the spotlight. This is so annoying, and it’s just embarrassing to others watching you do this.
4. Dropping those names
So, you know someone famous, do you? Well, that’s nice. But honestly, dropping names about celebrities in your life during a conversation is one of the most annoying and cringeworthy things you can do. I know a few celebrities myself, and truth be told, most people do!
So, this rare thing you think you got going on is not that rare at all and bragging about it makes you look bad. Step back, and then keep your name dropping to yourself. Being humble would be a much nicer thing to practice.
5. Using words to impress
If you know big words, then that’s good. It means you either read quite a bit, have a high-level intelligence, or you simply train yourself to learn big words for conversations. Hmm, could it be the last one that drove a friend away?
If you’re using big or fancy words to make yourself look good, then you’re going to make yourself look ridiculous instead.
This is especially true if you’re talking to a friend who really knows you well. They know the real you, and when you start talking down to them, it will become more than annoying, and they will probably find someone else to talk to.
6. Too much or too fast
If you’re talking more than listening, or you’re talking too fast, what do you think the other person is doing? Do you really think they’re listening to all the stuff you’re rambling on about?
Maybe they’re being a good friend and trying to hear you. I have a friend who tolerates me like that, so sometimes they do. But honestly, if you’re doing all the talking, even the best of friends will start to avoid you.
Yes, even my best friend did that to me once or twice. She might not admit it, but it helped me to practice calming myself down. You see, that’s just it.
We don’t always hog conversations because we’re bad people. Sometimes we just get overly excited and have so much going on in our brains. But to keep from being so annoying, we must constantly practice self-control when communicating.
Here’s the point of the issue
What it all boils down to is listening. If we did as much listening as we talk, we would learn how to properly conversate. Over time, due to all the changes in who we are and our technology, we’ve forgotten the basic unspoken rules of communication.
But if we try, and I mean really try, we can learn how to talk to each other in the right way once more. As I’ve mentioned many times throughout this post, listening is at the root of learning this task.
So, with all this being said, talk less, and listen more. This is the key to destroying annoying conversational habits and keeping friends close.
