Pardon the Interruption

     Ever been in a conversation with someone, and they started talking while you were right in the middle of what you were saying?  It was as if you weren't speaking at all.  Or how about when you're speaking to someone and another person walks up and interjects as if they had been invited into your conversation.  We've all been there.  And some of us are guilty of doing the same to others.  For whatever reason, we feel like it's okay to butt-in where we have not been invited.  We don't recognize the rudeness of our interruption, and we take for granted that the person we're speaking to is okay with it.  Well listen up.  It's not okay.
     Like so much in life today, we are impatient in our conversations.  It's almost as if we can't control ourselves.  If a thought is on our minds, we have to immediately express it.  Usually without a lot of forethought which gets a lot of people in trouble.  If we stopped for a moment and actually considered what was going on in the interaction we were experiencing, it would cause us to take time and listen.  When we're listening correctly, we're quiet.  Thinking is best done quietly.  If you think out loud, it still requires you being the only one talking.  To have two people talking at the same time means no one is listening.  That's why arguments are fruitless.  Both people are shouting to get their points across, but no one's really listening to either point being forced on the other person.
     In most social and work environments, to hijack a conversation is a nuisance.  Therefore, make a special effort to check yourself before you invade another person's thought process.  When you interrupt, you break their stream of thinking.  They lose the momentum of what they were trying to say.  You've essentially acted as if what you have to say is more important. 
     If the conversation is between you and another individual and you interrupt, the issue is the same.  You are being arrogant and rude.  Wait your turn.  You'll get it in.  Unless the other person is the one being rude by conducting a monologue and not letting you get a word in edgewise, you should listen quietly to what they're saying and await your opportunity to speak.  You'll find that you can contribute better to the conversation because you've heard the whole story as opposed to speaking too quickly and going in the wrong direction.  I must confess I'm bad about interrupting on the phone.  I can't always hear when the other person wants to speak so I may go on too long.  But I'm cognizant of it, and I make an effort to listen harder and speak a little less.  And that's all any of us has to do--think about our behavior when we're engaging other people.  When you can admit that sometimes you're sloppy with it, then you can make the effort to clean up your mess.
     If you've stopped what you were doing to read this, then please, pardon the interruption.