Have you ever been at some sort of gathering or party, only to get cornered by some poor soul who couldn’t stop talking? Hubby used to have a coworker like this. The guy was always well meaning. I think. However, I hated, hated, really hated having any sort of conversation with him.
Once he started, he would not stop talking. He mostly talked about himself. He would stop to take a breath or ask me a question. Usually the question was really just a lead in to the next thing he wanted to talk about. I was always too polite to walk away or tell him I wasn’t interested. Instead, my eyes would plead for rescue each time another hubby’s coworkers walked past. No wanted to be stuck in my predicament.
C, as I’ll call him, never realized that he was just verbally vomiting on anyone who would listen. Me, customers he assisted and coworkers all received the same treatment. It’s easy to judge someone who blabbers on and on, but we’ve all been guilty of verbal vomit. So how do you know you’re doing it?
Signs That You’re Verbally Vomiting
- No one makes eye contact with you. Instead of looking at you while you’re talking to them, they’re really looking for an escape route. They’re hoping someone, anyone, maybe Obi Wan Kenobe will whisk them out of the conversation.Or if they
- Or their eyes glaze over. You know that faraway look. Their brain has shut down. They’re not listening. They’re just waiting for the talking to stop.
- They keep shuffling their feet or moving backwards. This technique never worked for me whenever C cornered me. Eventually he’d back me against a shelf of books and I was trapped. Worse yet, he would following me around. So if your victim, er friend, is trying to get away from you, it’s a sign you’re talking too much.
- You only get short, one-word answers. If your friend is only giving you Yes or No answers to your questions, they’re trying not to encourage you to keep talking. It’s not because they don’t have an opinion about the conversation.
- Your friend constantly interrupts the conversation to greet others. This is another cry for help. Your friend is hoping that by drawing another person into the conversation, they can share their torture with someone else, or quietly slip away.
Escaping from C was always a task because he would follow me around store to talk to me, ignoring his work. When I was pregnant, using the bathroom was the best excuse ever. When I had the kids, I would claim they needed to go home for a nap. Eventually I managed to break free.
I wish I could hold up a sign whenever C started rambling. Kind of like in the upcoming movie A Thousand Words, Eddie Murphy plays Jack, a fast talker and uses his skill to get whatever he wants, even lying. After attempting to pull a fast one on a new age guru, a magical tree grows in Jack’s yard. Each leaf represents each word Jack speaks. Soon he realizes he only has 1,000 leaves remaining and must use them wisely. I wonder how hubby’s coworker would act if he were in Jack’s situation. Hmmmm.
What was your last verbal vomit moment? Share your verbal oops or a time you stuck your foot in your mouth for a chance to win $1,000 in the Shut Your Mouth contest. Plus share with me so we can laugh together! A Thousand Words, starring Eddie Murphy and Kerry Washington, opens in theaters this Friday, March 9.
This post was written as part of a compensated campaign through Blogalicious’ bLink. All opinions are my own. Plus this actually looks like an Eddie Murphiy movie I want to see.
Photo by mediamolecule via Creative Commons