In the old days I was always the one left waiting to speak to a speaker after a book-signing, at the end of the queue, whilst the last person but one insisted on telling their life story. Then, after I paid my money to get the signed book, the organizer would pull the speaker away, saying peremptorily to me, "Mr So and so needs a drink and has to catch his train".
Recently I had the opposite experience. I was the speaker. A lady behind me, an acquaintance, engaged me in conversation. I was very happy to talk to her. I was chatting away. I gave my opinion and advice on how I prepare speeches.
Then up comes a VIP, who had just won the prize trophy for evaluating my speech, who is also a friend of mine.
He starts to speak to me - but the lady says angrily, to him, "If you don't mind, I was in the middle of a conversation with Angela! You interrupted. Go away."
Maybe she did not use these exact words, but that was the implication.
I have been puzzling over what I should, or could I have done?
How do you interrupt politely? How do you accept an interruption?
Often, at the end of a meeting, somebody ask a speaker or bystander a question. Another person approaches with a question. Sometimes I have stood for twenty minutes waiting my turn, then the speaker has to rush off.
Maybe the speaker, can say to the first conversationalist, "Is this a quick question? Or to the second interrupter, "Is this a quick question?"
Or should you say, "I'm talking to such and such a person about (whatever). Do you want to talk about this or something else?"
If I had planned better, I might have said, "Let's talk about this for five minutes, and I'll give x five minutes in case he's in a hurry, then come back to you."
Is it fair to make a second speaker wait whilst the first person hogs the attention? Or is the second person bound to wait? How have you dealt with this in the past, badly or well?
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Recently I had the opposite experience. I was the speaker. A lady behind me, an acquaintance, engaged me in conversation. I was very happy to talk to her. I was chatting away. I gave my opinion and advice on how I prepare speeches.
Then up comes a VIP, who had just won the prize trophy for evaluating my speech, who is also a friend of mine.
He starts to speak to me - but the lady says angrily, to him, "If you don't mind, I was in the middle of a conversation with Angela! You interrupted. Go away."
Maybe she did not use these exact words, but that was the implication.
I have been puzzling over what I should, or could I have done?
How do you interrupt politely? How do you accept an interruption?
Often, at the end of a meeting, somebody ask a speaker or bystander a question. Another person approaches with a question. Sometimes I have stood for twenty minutes waiting my turn, then the speaker has to rush off.
Maybe the speaker, can say to the first conversationalist, "Is this a quick question? Or to the second interrupter, "Is this a quick question?"
Or should you say, "I'm talking to such and such a person about (whatever). Do you want to talk about this or something else?"
If I had planned better, I might have said, "Let's talk about this for five minutes, and I'll give x five minutes in case he's in a hurry, then come back to you."
Is it fair to make a second speaker wait whilst the first person hogs the attention? Or is the second person bound to wait? How have you dealt with this in the past, badly or well?
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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