Interrupting seems better when only a few people are interacting,
Another important variable is who the people are. I’m an “interrupter” myself, but I’ve known “waiters” who find the interrupting style of conversation very difficult to work with, even when they are talking with just one other person.
It’s not just a matter of perceived rudeness. Some waiters find it hard to keep their thinking organized if they have to switch abruptly and unexpectedly from “talking mode” to “listening mode”. Since I don’t find it so hard to hold onto my thoughts while the waiters say their peace, it makes more sense for me to accommodate their waiting style rather than to impose my interrupting style on them.
Interesting, I’m more used to a very different style of “waiting” where having a long organized chain of thoughts you have to get through in sequence is an exceptional case—usually you let the other person’s response to the first thing you say help steer the conversation. But now that you mention it I recognize the style you’re talking about too.
Another important variable is who the people are. I’m an “interrupter” myself, but I’ve known “waiters” who find the interrupting style of conversation very difficult to work with, even when they are talking with just one other person.
It’s not just a matter of perceived rudeness. Some waiters find it hard to keep their thinking organized if they have to switch abruptly and unexpectedly from “talking mode” to “listening mode”. Since I don’t find it so hard to hold onto my thoughts while the waiters say their peace, it makes more sense for me to accommodate their waiting style rather than to impose my interrupting style on them.
Interesting, I’m more used to a very different style of “waiting” where having a long organized chain of thoughts you have to get through in sequence is an exceptional case—usually you let the other person’s response to the first thing you say help steer the conversation. But now that you mention it I recognize the style you’re talking about too.