How Interrupting Can Make You A Better Listener

Years ago when I wrote my career advice book Always Eat Left Handed, I included a chapter that sparked a mini-backlash among students who took the title a little too literally. It was called “Interrupt Often” and in it I suggested that active listening required a willingness to actually interrupt and engage someone instead of silently nodding along.

Georgetown linguistics professor Deborah Tannen more elegantly describes this as “cooperative overlapping” and is quoted in a Fast Company article all about the underappreciated value of interrupting.

It's true. Being a great interrupter is an overlooked skill ... and one that is really hard to get right, but often necessary for “high engagement,” according to Tannen.