How do you guys handle someone always wanting to finish your sentences?

[Ten Cat]

I just ended a romantic relationship, one of the main reasons I ended it is because I could never have a give and take convo with this particular guy. He constantly interrupted, talked over me and finished my sentences. Drove me absolutely bonkers. I tried talking to him about his horrible habit, he of course denied that he did this, and worse said I was the one who did to him all the time.

I mean, I would start a sentence, get four words out, and he would already start jumping in. It was ridiculous. I think these people are either extremely narcissistic, or just so lonely they are dying to talk and talk and talk.....

Wish I had an answer for you OP, but you aren't the only one who is driven crazy by this. It has made me more conscious of my own conversational tics, however.

[Ten Cat]

Originally Posted by arleigh

You mean this offends people ?
I though it was a sign of understanding the speaker's train of thought.
So your saying that , when your stumbling at a word to describe a thought, I should let you stumble and fumble over it till if you ever come up with the word .
Got it thanks.

Helping someone find a lost word is not the same as trying to always dominate the conversion via interruptions, talking over, etc.

[70's Music Girl]

I know a couple people that are hyper and inpatient and run in to this situation, too. I feel it's terribly rude and the ones I know are control freaks. Not fully present in the moment. I've seen in group settings people have said, "let me finish what I was saying" constantly interrupting and finishing someone else sentence. I find I say very little around these people because they're unaware of their behavior and unable to show respect toward others.

It's just draining and takes so much energy to just have conversation. It's such a breath of fresh air to then talk with someone and have a conversation with mutual respect.

I knew someone else for many years that interrupted everyone talking. She tried really hard to correct this, but wasn't able to, it was an impulse to interrupt. One time she and I prepared for a dinner party and before guest arrived she said, "I'm going to really try and let other people finish their thought and not interrupt" She said very little at dinner, I could tell she was struggling to not interrupt someone talking.

There's really not alot you can do in this situation. People that interrupt constantly are unaware of their behavior and the person being interrupted is totally aware of their behavior.

[gentlearts]

One of my friends does this. she typically will ask a question, but will not wait for the answer, but will interrupt half way through.
Actually, this friend is pretty annoying in many ways, so thank goodness we moved away and don't see her very often.

[kharing]

Originally Posted by Ten Cat

I just ended a romantic relationship, one of the main reasons I ended it is because I could never have a give and take convo with this particular guy. He constantly interrupted, talked over me and finished my sentences. Drove me absolutely bonkers. I tried talking to him about his horrible habit, he of course denied that he did this, and worse said I was the one who did to him all the time.

I mean, I would start a sentence, get four words out, and he would already start jumping in. It was ridiculous. I think these people are either extremely narcissistic, or just so lonely they are dying to talk and talk and talk.....

Wish I had an answer for you OP, but you aren't the only one who is driven crazy by this. It has made me more conscious of my own conversational tics, however.

I see it as a form of passion. I would reconsider ending this relationship! Learn how to flow with him...

I spoke with two "male friends" today and your comment came to my mind. I would rather have a conversation with a man that is passionate about his feelings than a boring guy that lets me complete a sentence.

[Xander_Crews]

Originally Posted by kharing

I see it as a form of passion. I would reconsider ending this relationship! Learn how to flow with him...

I spoke with two "male friends" today and your comment came to my mind. I would rather have a conversation with a man that is passionate about his feelings than a boring guy that lets me complete a sentence.

LOL, thanks for this post, it gives me hope. I am most likely to finish someones sentence when I am enthusiastic about the conversation. I was starting to get worried reading this thread.

[Tatooine]

Originally Posted by Xander_Crews

Sometimes I catch myself doing this, especially when speaking with someone who talks slowly. My brain processes information quickly. Sometimes I just know where someone is going or they have already conveyed the point and they are throwing in unnecessary words in at the end.

I wish people didn't get so offended, a lot of the time it just means that we are good at communicating both verbally and non-verbally to the point where the complete sentence isn't needed to convey the thought.

But if it is that the person just takes too long to form the sentence/thought, why do they get to complain about me finishing it if annoys them... people who take forever to convey a thought can be just as annoying.

I find most often that it is a sign of a close relationship and understanding... which shouldn't be offensive.

At my last job I worked I had a co-worker who I'd become good friends with. When we worked together, for example during closing time, we knew each other and the job so well that we could have a conversation that went like:

Me: "Oh, I forgot to grab the ---"
Her: "Receipt paper, I'll go get some. Were you gonna --"
Me: "Yeah, I'll check the bathrooms for customers."
Her: "I'll lock the far doors."
Me: *has already grabbed the key for the other set of doors*

So this sort of thing can come up with people who are close, and I think friends in this instance would be able to understand it and it wouldn't bother them (if a friend finished my sentence, I'd respond, "Yes! Exactly.")

However, there are those who interrupt without any good idea of where the sentence was going - but again, since it's not the correct ending/word then it really does become an interruption rather than a ... complimentary response or whatever (gah, I can't think of the wording I want. Someone finish my post for me? )

I did have another co-worker who also interrupted me, but she was just a talker. Conversations with her went something like this:
Her: So, did you hear about Big Event in town?
Me: Yeah, I was thinking that --
Her: I can't believe they're holding it again this year. Last year was crazy.
Me: I know, it was strange that --
Her: And that guy who was directing it? I can't believe he's in charge again. *continues blabbing while I space out*

It's not really sentence-finishing as much as sentence-ignoring, the extreme end (or an offshoot) of the spectrum of Sentence Finishers.

[Xander_Crews]

Originally Posted by Tatooine

At my last job I worked I had a co-worker who I'd become good friends with. When we worked together, for example during closing time, we knew each other and the job so well that we could have a conversation that went like:

Me: "Oh, I forgot to grab the ---"
Her: "Receipt paper, I'll go get some. Were you gonna --"
Me: "Yeah, I'll check the bathrooms for customers."
Her: "I'll lock the far doors."
Me: *has already grabbed the key for the other set of doors*

So this sort of thing can come up with people who are close, and I think friends in this instance would be able to understand it and it wouldn't bother them (if a friend finished my sentence, I'd respond, "Yes! Exactly.")

However, there are those who interrupt without any good idea of where the sentence was going - but again, since it's not the correct ending/word then it really does become an interruption rather than a ... complimentary response or whatever (gah, I can't think of the wording I want. Someone finish my post for me? )

I did have another co-worker who also interrupted me, but she was just a talker. Conversations with her went something like this:
Her: So, did you hear about Big Event in town?
Me: Yeah, I was thinking that --
Her: I can't believe they're holding it again this year. Last year was crazy.
Me: I know, it was strange that --
Her: And that guy who was directing it? I can't believe he's in charge again. *continues blabbing while I space out*

It's not really sentence-finishing as much as sentence-ignoring, the extreme end (or an offshoot) of the spectrum of Sentence Finishers.

I totally get what you are saying about co-workers. I was that way with a superior at my last job, I always knew what he wanted before he finished his sentence. He appreciated it, told me so. He said it showed that I am truly paying attention and understanding what is being said.

I also get what you are saying about interrupting/just waiting to talk. That can be VERY annoying.

[Ten Cat]

Originally Posted by kharing

I see it as a form of passion. I would reconsider ending this relationship! Learn how to flow with him...

I spoke with two "male friends" today and your comment came to my mind. I would rather have a conversation with a man that is passionate about his feelings than a boring guy that lets me complete a sentence.

Um, no, not in this case. I gave him plenty of chances, and came to the conclusion that he was really only interested in the sound of his own voice. There were other issues as well, but this was one of the more glaring ones. He could not sit on his hands and wait for me to finish what I was saying, ever.

Being a good female person, I tried to work around his bad habit, but I was finding myself just drained and in a bad mood after spending time with him. It's a shame, he has a good heart, but he also had some quirks I wasn't willing to tolerate anymore.

Oh, well.

[Ten Cat]

Originally Posted by Xander_Crews

LOL, thanks for this post, it gives me hope. I am most likely to finish someones sentence when I am enthusiastic about the conversation. I was starting to get worried reading this thread.

We all do that to an extent, but trust me, that was not what was going on in my case. I felt very disrespected by my ex, everything he had to say was always far more important than what I had to say.

Trust me, I am very easy going, even tho I know my posts probably make me seem like the difficult one