Do your coworkers, classmates, friends and family tune you out? This can be frustrating, especially when you have something important to say. You may think others are being unfair or mean, but the problem might not be them. Here's a look at seven reasons why people don't listen when you speak.
If you’re a blabber mouth and always talking about something or you have a story for every situation, some people might get tired of hearing your voice and stop listening. In their minds, you're just telling another story or talking to hear yourself speak.
Some people might stop listening if you're a know-it-all. You might be the type of person who gives everyone advice on every subject, but you don’t take advice or listen to others. Nobody likes a know-it-all. If you respect the opinions of others and stop thinking you’re smarter than everyone else, others might start listening when you open your mouth.
Be perfectly honest with yourself, how well do you listen to others? It's easy to whine and complain that people never listen to you. But if you don't listen, you can't expect much back. Practice listening more than you talk. If you let people get a word in instead of talking over them, they’ll be more willing to listen when you have something to say.
Everyone has problems. But at the same time, you don't want to become a chronic complainer. If you’re a negative person who brings everyone down, others might turn the other way when they see you approaching. And the more you spread your negativity, the less they’ll want to listen to you.
Being a braggart or a show off isn't going to win you friend. If anything, you'll turn people off and they’ll stop listening to you. Take note of your conversations. Do you constantly talk about money, what you're buying or your lifestyle?
It's difficult to admit our bad habits and traits. But if it seems as if nobody ever listens to you, maybe it's because you're annoying. Are you the person who always has a stupid joke or pokes fun at another person's expense. Or maybe you don't know the understanding of the word “boundaries,” and you get too personal with people you don't know well. Talk to a close friend and see if any of these characteristics apply to you. If so, make an effort to improve and yield to the feelings of others.
If people don't believe your stories or feel that you're exaggerating or downright lying, they’ll likely stop listening to what you have to say. In this case, you have bigger issues than people not listening to you – you need to fix your reputation. The next time you relate a story, make sure it's accurate and don’t exaggerating.
Realizing that people aren’t listening when you speak can be frustrating and discouraging. But if you can get to the bottom of why people tune you out, you're in a better position to correct the problem so that your voice can be heard.
Why do you stop listening to people?