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Some things are so annoying in a conversation that make you think twice before having a conversation with someone who does them. You can either use the list to annoy people or to be careful and not do them.
- I object. Some people can’t help themselves but disagree with everything you say whether they really do or not, they just enjoy objecting, they should have become lawyers instead. There are variations to the phrase like, “I disagree”, or saying “you are wrong” all the time.
- I agree. This conversation habit is the exact opposite of the one above. They are either spineless or plain boring. They assume that by agreeing with everything you say, you will be very happy. It just makes for terribly boring conversation. I like people agreeing with my ideas but I prefer having and ongoing and stimulating conversation so much more.
- Zero Attention. If the person you are talking to has been diagnosed with ADD then you might be able to forgive them. But in general not paying attention to what is being said or by having no eye contact or staring at the ceiling are just conversation killers.
- One Upping. You are telling this really interesting story about something you did, suddenly Mr One Upper buts in and proceeds to make himself a hero to a similar story.
- Me! Me! Me! Past the age of five we beging to understand that the world does not revolve around us, some people miss that lesson and continue talking about themselves all the time, ignoring everyone else and the conversation going on.
- Interrupter. Sometimes you just can’t help yourself but interrupt, for some people though it is an obsessive compulsion to but in. It just makes having a conversation impossible.
- Wrong Volume person. I am neither deaf nor have super hearing. If you want to talk to me please talk in a setting appropriate volume. If people have to keep telling you to raise or lower your voice then you are guilty of this offense. Please calibrate your voice.
- I know. It is impossible that any one person knows everything in the world. If someone keeps saying “I know” to every piece of information you give them it becomes annoying. It is more polite and keeps the conversation more stimulating if you take it to a deeper level if you truly do have knowledge instead of just stating that you know it all.
- Silence. Not saying anything at all is just as bad. I am talking not doing a monologue.
- Non Stop Talking. Some people can talk non stop without stopping to take a breath, it is so impressive. It’s a monologue if only one person does the talking and no one else can speak.
What are your conversational pet peeves? What are you guilty of doing in a conversation? Keep the conversation going and let me know.
100% true
im suffering of some of them while teaching ..daaaaa!!
Poor students!
I love the wrong volume one lol. Well, I don’t love it but it cracked me up…calibrate!
Yes I know people on both sides of the spectrum and I have to keep telling them that they’re hurting my ears.
You forgot the “close talkers”!! standing too close to hold a conversation GETS ON MY NERVES!
They’re annoying but I keep moving away anyway, I like my personal space
If you ever watch Grey’s Anatomy, 7′ody balek keda how Meredith and Christina Yang hold a conversation together, they do everything on the list!
I’ll try to check it out next time.
I totally agree with you! They are the best example of how to annoy people during a conversation.
very good tips to annoye the ” other when ” when u dont like the conversation .
You never know when you might need to annoy “the others”.
no i know! when they catch me in a bad mode
I seem to attract those non-stop talkers. I once sat through an entire dinner where my companion talked for an hour and a half. Not sure how she managed to eat, considering she never allowed a pause in the conversation. It’s not only annoying, it makes the person on the receiving end feel bad, like they aren’t interesting enough.
So clever, and so true!
For me, the worst is the “zero attention”. When someone isn’t listening, it’s pretty obvious. It would be much more beneficial to the one-sided conversation if the person just excused themselves, instead of pretending to be present.
Then again, sometimes I’m the one doing it, because it’s hard to interrupt someone that is talking non-stop!
I used to teach some students for the private lesson. He always cuts my explanation with the topic which is totally out of the lesson. Not only that, the conversation is always about him. It annoys me so much. He never focuses on the lesson and never gives me the chance to talk about the lesson itself. i ended up by stopping my tutoring activity on him.
Great read! It’s almost as if people have to learn to practice the art of listening and responding appropriately. Maybe there should be a formal lesson in kindergarten or something.
This had me laughing. I think I’ve encountered every one of those kind of people, and you’re right, they’re all totally annoying.
Here’s a trick: mimic whatever the other person is doing. Give them the silent treatment back, or agree with everything they say.
Wrong Volume person is the worst! I hate being conscious of strangers listening to my conversation because the person I am with is talking too loudly. Like on a subway: once other surrounding strangers hear the Wrong Volume person, then they are automatically listening to what my responses are.
You described very well about annoy people. These tips are very helpful for me. I am teacher and obvious face these problems. Great work go ahead.
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You know you’re having a bad conversation when you try one of the tips you mentioned, and the other person doesn’t even notice and keeps talking with you, anyway. Then, you do #11: walk away!
Yes I know people on both sides of the spectrum and I have to keep telling them that they’re hurting my ears.I think I’ve encountered every one of those kind of people, and you’re right, they’re all totally annoying. Thanks for sharing.
Basically, the one thing you can/should do in a conversation is *listen*. Not just to the words, but to the flow of the conversation. Better to take time to respond then to push an agenda.
I encounter each of these on a daily basis.. they really do make for an unpleasant experience, and makes me regret running into certain people