Talking Too Fast and Too Long

Talking too fast and too long makes the hearer feel like they are under assault. An idea I had not thought of until I listened to a video called; "Therapist Talks."

This made a lot of sense and why I felt frustration at times with narcissists who hold the floor in a discussion so long that others cannot interject. When we interrupt to be able to become a part of the conversation, these people will not stop and let you in, they will keep going and talk over your attempt to engage. Often the narcissist is not saying anything very interesting, they just love the sound of their own voice and the control they feel as they are the center of attention. They cannot allow anyone else to have attention by entering the conversation.

When someone does this regularly to the point of frustration it is time to avoid them. A conversation is two people talking not one having a monologue while the other one is treated as though they have no value in the exchange, if one calls it an exchange.

In these end times when there will be far more narcissists than rational people in the world we can expect communication to be frustrated and laborious. 2 Timothy 3

A culture that feels entitled to all the attention on self all of the time, will have no room for the thoughts of others. We will encounter many people who are not interested in hearing the ideas or thoughts of anyone else. They just love the sound of their own voice.

We will also encounter many people who actually believe they know it all and will not entertain a thought from someone else, that is different from their own. These people never learn, they remain emotional and spiritual infants through their entire lives.

All of us have interrupted others at times to say something we might forget when we hear a thought. There are those conversations when everyone is interrupting during the whole conversation. Some of this is normal but when it is most of the time and by the same person all the time, then we can see a pattern of selfishness to dominate others.

We should all be polite, when we catch ourselves interrupting we should apologize and let the person finish. If someone sees that we have a thought we would like to express and have waited to do it, the person talking should end their sentence quickly to allow the one who interrupted to speak.

1 Corinthians 14:29-33
"29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.
30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;
32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;
33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."

When there is love and humility there will not be a dominating spirit who loves being seen as special. All who love the Lord and love one another will consider the desires of each. We will want to hear from others as well as express ourselves.