How To Deal With Talkative People?

Loquacious is a word that means "exceedingly talkative"; it is a rather eloquent adjective used to describe people who don't know when to shut their traps. Such people have an uncanny knack for cornering you where there's no convenient escape route and then subjecting you to an endless barrage of opinions, gossip and more opinions about the gossip

People are all different, and some of them like to talk more than others. But if someone in your group is monopolizing, you must deal with it. As facilitator, it's your responsibility to make sure the group is a safe, helpful, and healthy place for everyone who is attending. You also need to communicate to the group, either directly or indirectly, that you are aware of the situation and you are handling it. It's not really something you want to get into if you don't have to. These type people normally have a broken listening ability even if you get them to shut up or pause. They love to talk, and do not know how to stop. They really have no desire to hear you.

Here's a series of steps to run though, increasing in severity of the situation.

• Redirect. Wait for a pause-- or cut in to create one-- and redirect the conversation to someone else.
• Be more direct.
• Invite the over-talker out for coffee and listen to them. Ask them questions. Once people have had a chance to tell you their story, they'll often quiet down in group.
• Use a more structured approach to the group for a while. For example, asking a question and then allowing time to go around and have each person respond briefly.
• Talk with them directly one-on-one about the issue.
• Some overtalkers are aware that they are monopolizing, but have difficulty stopping themselves. Ask them, one-on-one outside of the group, for permission to interrupt them if you notice they are continuing to monopolize. Debrief with them after group about the issue.
• The best thing to do in this kind of situation is to interrupt.
• Another best thing to do is to change the topic, just as the person stops speaking one must try to change the topic.