Do you have a habit of interrupting people?
Did I honestly think what I had was more important than what someone else was saying? Was interrupting just a bad habit? Then I realized how rude this was and felt convicted reading the book of James, which says to be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19). It was apparent I needed to stop interrupting people.
I’m going to share three ways we can break this bad habit. From my own experience, I found practical ways to stop myself when I felt the overwhelming urge to interrupt.
Three Ways to Stop Interrupting
STICKY NOTES: At first, I found using sticky notes to be a helpful strategy. When my husband was leading a meeting, I took notes. Rather than speaking out, I wrote down what I wanted to say on paper and handed it to him. This helped maintain the flow of the meeting without any interruptions and prevented me from coming across as rude.
FINGER COUNTING: I also learned not to interrupt when my husband and I talked at home or in the car. I developed a method of counting on my fingers to remember the points I wanted to make. My husband watched my fingers, and when he was done talking about the subject, he said, “Oh, I see you have something to say.”
COVERED MOUTH: I remember a situation in which I felt unable to control myself and could not express what I wanted to say. It took a drastic measure to stop myself from interrupting. In this situation, I put my elbow in the palm of my other hand and covered my mouth with my fingers. It seemed silly, but it reminded me I needed to listen before speaking.
If we have something important to say, there will be time to say it.
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ~ James 1:19
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Joyce Zook
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