Tips for Interrupting

1. Have a specific purpose. Whether you are jumping into other people's
conversation or you're stopping someone's monologue, it's essential that you have
a reason for doing it and the ability to relay that to the person talking. State the
purpose as briefly as possible.
2. Use proper timing. It's best to wait until the person speaking stops to catch a breath
before speaking up.
3. Be as polite as possible. Always speak politely and start the conversation with
a polite introduction to your interruption. Some things you might say include,
"Excuse me," "I need to say something here," "Do you mind if I interrupt?" "I
have an idea that relates to what you just said," "I'd like to add something to that,"
or "I beg your pardon, but I need to say something." “ sorry to interrupt you” , “
cloud I make a point here”.
4. Use a gesture. If your interruption isn't acknowledged, lift a hand or use eye
contact to get the person's attention. Never hover. When you make your gesture,
you can say, "Excuse me for a sec. I'll keep this brief." Then say what you need to
say as quickly as possible so they can get back to their conversation.
5. Clearing your throat or coughing helps you to get someone’s attention before you
interrupt them to make a point or ask question.
6. Keep a noticeable distance when interrupting someone else's conversation. If you
walk right up to the person who is chatting, it may appear that you want to simply
listen. Stand back a bit as you make eye contact to show that being part of their
conversation isn't what you want.
7. Get clarification. When you are in a business or committee meeting, and the
discussion is heading in a direction that you and perhaps others don't understand, it
is okay to interrupt to get an explanation.
Disagreement

Here are some helpful tips for making disagreements productive and professional.

Share your knowledge

Speak up. Share your expertise without being fearful. Become a valuable part of
the conversation making sure your ideas are heard.

Be a mirror

When disagreeing, repeat what you disagree with. Help the group know you’re
listening and understand. When this is clear, they are far more likely to listen
carefully to your point of view.

Prepare to disagree

When you’re headed to a meeting you know will include some disagreement,
prepare yourself by imagining reasons why others might question your opinion.
Come up with logical arguments to counter the viewpoints.

Value yourself

Believe in your importance and be confident you have expertise and value. Then,
when sharing, elevate the conversation to another level.

Think about the goal

The goal is to solve the problem. So remember your opinion might counter the
popular opinion, but you’re there to help find a solution. This type of mentality
should help you overcome the fear of rejection.
Tips for disagreeing

Disagreement is easier to deal with from friends. Build relationships with

colleagues and you earn the right to disagree with them.

 Make your questions empirical. Propose questions that can be answered

with evidence rather than opinion.
 Skip the small stuff. Focus on the telling points.
 Don’t be offended by the truth.
 Ask questions instead of making arguments.
 Have at least one specific reason why you know the idea won’t work.
 Provide an alternative idea and explain why it’s better.

Separate the people from the problem. As I hit on earlier, the goal is to solve the
problem and for a disagreement to be a healthy and productive one.