By Jeffrey Stern
Every group has one motor mouth — the guy or gal who just can’t resist commenting on every point, holding side conversations during training talks or bragging about the time they perfectly handled the play in question. Heaven help you if you are burdened with more than one.
Chatty Charlie (or Charlotte, as the case may be) needs to be dealt with, but how? You can attempt to embarrass them by halting your presentation and staring at them until they realize they’re on the spot. You can ignore them, which doesn’t address the problem at all. Or you can simply tell them to shut the (expletive) up.
Those methods may work temporarily but they are not permanent solutions. Here are some that may be more effective.
Include them, with a caveat. Your problem member may have valuable information to impart. But you need to control the message. Instead of opening the floor to comment with a “Well, what do you all think?” ask the “expert” to give an abbreviated response. If it’s good advice, great. If it’s outside the bounds of accepted mechanics or philosophy, temper the comments with, “Well, that’s an option. Anyone else have thoughts? How about you (insert name of knowledgeable but somewhat shy member)?”
Another alternative is, “You have made your point, and you have made it very well, but I think we need to move on.”
It may be necessary to have a private conversation with the troublesome member, but remember to be professional. Flattery sometimes helps. Consider something along the lines of, “You are very knowledgeable, but it is important that other people also feel free to make their contributions.”
You also need to react if you find yourself constantly interrupted with information good or bad. Keep pauses short, maintain your momentum as you speak and keep your voice loud and clear. Avoid eye contact with the interrupter, which conveys you’re not granting them permission to disrupt you.
Avoid a situation in which you continue talking over the interrupter. If they’re the type who feels no compunction about speaking out of turn, they won’t hesitate to keep talking. The result is the rest of the audience is left to wonder whom to listen to.
You can also attempt to dissuade through use of delaying tactics. “Please let me finish my point. If we have time for comments or questions, I’ll get to you.”
Jeffrey Stern is Referee’s senior editor. He officiated high school and collegiate football and umpired high school baseball.
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