How to handle talkaholics and what you can do to balance the conversation better

They talk without pause or punctuation.

- BY SABINE MEUTER

Some people have an obvious urge to talk, which can annoy the person they are talking to.It might be a colleague who gives monologues at meetings, a neighbour who talks nonstop when you meet or a friend who doesn’t give you any space to say anything yourself.

Such talkaholics are often unaware that their incessant stream of words can annoy others.

That’s because sometimes the other person is sending the wrong signal, says Michaela Albrecht, a communication trainer in Hohenroda, Hesse.

"If someone nods politely to the other person’s torrent of words, even though it annoys them, the overly talkative person may interpret this as interest,” she says.

Increased need to talk

There can be many reasons why someone talks incessantly and doesn’t give the other person a chance to say anything.

Lurweg, a systemic therapist in Munster.

When these people meet others and see an opportunity to say things they have long kept to themselves, they do so.

“It’s as if something inside them is released and pent-up feelings come pouring out,” says Lurweg.

Insecurity: Others talk incessantly in the hope of receiving validation.