March 5, 2026
Imagine you’re in a meeting and you start sharing your ideas, but shortly in, this guy interrupts you and he’s like, “Wait, wait. I see this differently,” and he just takes over, hijacks the entire conversation.
And you’re sitting there thinking, “What the hell?” Right? I wasn’t done yet.
Why does this keep happening to me?
And I know it sucks, but here’s the uncomfortable truth: you’ve allowed people to do this without realizing it.
But don’t worry, there are three levels that will stop people from interrupting you.
Let me give you two versions. Who do you think is more likely to get interrupted?
Version One: “Well, yeah, I think this could maybe…”
Version Two: “Today you will uncover the simple change that will help us cut our costs by 30%.”
Version two, right? Why?
Because version two sold you on what’s about to come. If you don’t want to get interrupted, don’t start weak.
Start with an anticipation hook.
That’s one sentence where you sell or anticipate the awesome stuff that is about to come.
Examples:
If you’re about to tell a story, well, don’t just start rambling. Say:
“This was the toughest moment of my entire career.”
Now people lean in.
If you’re about to share productivity tips, don’t just list them. Say:
“The first one is good. The second one, immediate actionable, but the third one, that’s my absolute favourite.”
Now people wait for the third one.
If you just master this one move, you’ll reduce interruptions dramatically.
But let’s say someone still jumps in. That’s where level two comes in.
A few years ago, I was having dinner in Amsterdam. Small table, six of us.
And in this moment, I start telling a story and I’m excited, right? I love telling this story.
But then halfway through, my buddy jumps in. He’s like, “Ah, dude, this reminds me of when…” and starts speaking over me.
Now everyone turns to him and I’m like, “I’m not having that shit.”
So I get louder. I speed up and try to grab back the room.
But then he also starts talking louder. Now we’re both talking at the same time. Actually, nobody’s listening. It’s just noise.
Sure, eventually I win. I finished the story. But it’s rushed, flat, and forced.
And that’s when I realized something:
The moment you start fighting for the floor, you’ve already lost it.
Here’s what I should’ve done instead:
Not gotten louder, not competed, just stayed steady.
When someone interrupts you, try this:
First, finish your sentence at the same pace, at the same volume. Then pause.
Pause for one or two seconds. Hold eye contact. That pause gives them a chance to correct themselves.
Most people interrupt by accident, and it makes the interruption visible.
Now, everything we just talked about works if that interruption was accidental.
But what if they keep doing it? That’s when we move into level three.
When someone keeps interrupting you, try this:
“Brian, f**k! Stop interrupting me, you #@$%!”
Kidding! Don’t do that.
It might feel amazing for about one second, but it’s maybe not the best long-term strategy.
There’s a better way. Instead of fighting for the floor, you take it back calmly.
The structure is simple:
Acknowledge them.
State that you’re not finished.
Set the order of speaking.
It sounds like this:
“Brian, I know you’ve got some thoughts on this. I’m still in the middle of sharing mine. Let me finish, and then I really want to hear what you have to say.”
No aggression, no asking for permission. You’re not saying, “Would it be okay if I finish?”
You’re saying, “This is the sequence.”
That’s leadership.
If you want something even simpler, you can say:
“Hey, Brian, hold that thought. Let me land this.”
“Brian, give me 30 seconds to finish my thoughts, and then I want to hear you.”
That specific time frame works incredibly well.
The moment you give them a clear slot, they relax. They’re like, “Okay, I know when I can speak.”
So, the next time someone interrupts you, give it a try and see how easy it is to actually deal with this kind of behavior.
Stopping interruptions is one thing, but the real skill is speaking so that people don’t even want to interrupt you in the first place.
That’s exactly what this next article is about: how to speak so that people actually listen.
I’ll see you there.
P.S. Want to become a stronger communicator?
Here are two ways I can support you:
👉 Want to tell more engaging stories? Join our next Storytelling Workshop.
👉 Want to speak with confidence and clarity? Check out our Communication Skills Training.
Both are fun, practical, and designed to help you grow fast.
Are you ready to transform your storytelling skills?
Discover how your storytelling skills score and uncover useful insights to help you become a charismatic storyteller:
