NotUrsula
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2002
I want to call her out so maybe she will stop. I have to listen to the ridiculousness 8 hours a day. Its mentally draining, constantly thinking "Well, that's not what you said a week ago" or "Why cant you just let XXX tell his story?" We all sit in silence which seems to get her going even more. Its really really bad. If it was just occasionally I would not start a thread. I'm really looking for advice on how to make it stop. I will try what a PP stated and just say "Oh thats nice" and turn back to the original conversation. Hopefully all will follow suit and she will tone it down.
It won't stop. Ever. You are throwing yourself at a brick wall. This particular habit is an act of desperation by the very socially insecure, who deep down, think that they are not natively interesting enough to be listened to, so they embroider in the unconscious hope that people will listen. I know this because I used to be one of them, though I didn't do it at work, but in social settings. My husband helped me stop, by developing a silent signal he could give me when I started to monopolize conversations. Only someone very close can get that kind of person to stop; a co-worker is powerless.
If she interrupts, call her on that, but ignore the story inflation. Y'all could shame her insecurity, but at base that is cruel, and will only make her angry at you, which opens you to work sabotage possibilities.
Just avoid her whenever you can, and be busy elsewhere when she starts to talk. It's at work, there is always the excuse of "I really need to finish this."