By Diego Nascimento
“Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment?” This famous question has already been used by you at some point, and I imagine that the receptivity was not always positive. The experience becomes even more traumatic when this happens during an important presentation at school, college, work and even in churches. Faced with this, the question arises: how and in what way can I interrupt someone?
It would be great if this did not happen, but the interruptions will always come up in the most unexpected moments of your daily life. I am a communicator and have been interrupted during classes, lectures, meetings and conferences. Over time I learned that patience is a fundamental pillar for controlling emotions. However, there are limits that need to be respected.
I often say that the “thermometer” of an interruption is the timing. Only risky situations and emergencies where “five minutes may be too late” deserve priority in interruptions. Imagine if we added up all the breaks we give throughout the day because of unnecessary interruptions? The result would show that clock passing the minutes is more precious than we might have thought. I have come up with some instruction and tips for how to think about this:
• Focus on your mission. There is a right time even for relaxation.
• Use notes to send short and emergency messages.
- Learn to knock on the door: never turn the knob to invade a space without being necessary.
• Raise one hand to receive permission to speak.
• Set priorities: there are things you can expect.
• Listen more and speak less.
• Observe the facial communication of the person or group you want to interrupt; a brief look may signal the entry permit or a direct “come back”.Taming anxiety teaches us to think ten times before we manifest something. I know people who do not have the sense to wait and, in a matter of seconds, create interpersonal conflicts by making daily communication a monologue (long speech or discussion had by a single person). But stay calm: there is a solution.
In the next article we will learn what to do when we are interrupted. How to act? What to say? I am quite sure that your life will benefit from this next article.
Have you ever interrupted someone at an inappropriate time? Tell me your story, and I’ll keep it a secret!