Why nobody wants to talk to you
There’s one thing nearly all of us do that can immediately turn people off from ever wanting to share their stories with us.
It’s called Conversational Narcissism.
And essentially, it’s when someone is always trying to shift the focus of a conversation back to themselves.
For example:
Let’s say you’re talking to me about an eagle you saw flying through the sky last week — and the moment you’re done speaking, I interject and say “Wow, you know what? That reminds me of the three HUGE eagles I saw earlier this month! Three of them all at once. Can you believe that?!”
See what I did there?
I shifted the focus of the conversation back onto myself, and I’ve left you feeling belittled and less inclined to continue sharing your experiences with me in the process.
#NotCool
So instead of hijacking a conversation and shifting the focus back onto yourself, wait for a pause in the conversation and then say “Wow, that’s interesting! Why don’t you tell me more?”
This invites the other person to open up and share more about themselves — and they’ll want to continue speaking to you because they’ll feel that they can be heard.
Got it? Good.
Now go forth and try your best to avoid being the Conversational Narcissist. It’ll take some time to destroy the habit, but I promise it will help you build stronger relationships with everybody you know.
Halt right there!
If you enjoyed this daily musing, would you mind holding down that 👏 button below? You can clap more than once, ya know… 😉
