Talking, talking, talking without conversing

What bores you?

I get bored when talking to some people. Some people. The ones who talk, talk, talk, without saying anything interesting or meaningful. The ones who talk endlessly about themselves with no interest in the person to whom they are speaking. The ones who dominate a conversation and don’t give other people a chance to speak.

A conversation is interactive. It involves the back-and-forth exchange of ideas between two or more people.

Introverts are not interested in small talk. Small talk is an easy way to begin a conversation, but it is boring. Gifted conversationalists (not me!) may begin a conversation with a question. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? What’s your favorite hobby?

What loquacious extroverts may not know is that the person who isn’t participating in the conversation can’t get a word in edgewise. You have to pause once in a while to let other people speak.

Talk. Pause. Listen. Repeat.