Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Best Ways To Politely Tell Someone That They Talk Too Much

People Share The Best Ways To Politely Tell Someone That They Talk Too Much
Couple Talking with Therapist · Free Stock Photo

I used to work at a grocery store once upon a time. Those were dark times, but I suppose you're not surprised. It was a pretty run of the mill place, the management wasn't particularly great, and the people ran the gamut from indifferent to annoying. I had really lovely coworkers, though. I think of them now and again. But then I'm reminded of that one guy who wouldn't stop talking and who had a talent for speaking in non-sequiturs. He handled the till right next to mine so...

I.

Couldn't.

Get.

Away.

After Redditor EntrepeNetherlands asked the online community, "How do you politely tell someone they are talking too much?" people offered their best advice.


"If you're in a group..."

If you're in a group, encourage others to say something. Either specify someone or be like "what do you guys think?"

MakesTypos

"If I want to get out of a conversation..."

If I want to get out of a conversation I let them to continue to talk while nodding accordingly.. I let my eyes focus on something off to the side and behind them with a mild look of concern on my face, then slowly let my eyes open wider and wider. When they turn to look at what I was looking at I walk away

undeleted-error-76

"As a white person..."

As a white person, I do the pained hallway smile hoping they get the point. If they don't, I await death.

Ghosted_Gurl

"In the Netherlands..."

If you are friends with the person just tell them. If you are not friends with them just tell them. In the Netherlands it is polite to do that and nobody cares.

superturtle2008

"Just do."

Just do. I like being shut up with humor, but also seriously and honestly. last time it worked i got: "Sorry, i can't listen anymore, I'm sensitive to sounds and I'm about to have an input overload."

Kyrilla_Mignon

"My experience..."

My experience has been that the type of people who will over-talk without picking up your subtle body language cues that you're not interested in listening anymore, are generally totally fine with being interrupted and hearing directly that you can't or don't want to talk anymore.

magicpurplecat

"And if they keep talking..."

Say, "I've gotta go. Talk later." And if they keep talking, leave them in a dumpster and burn the evidence.

pyrohammer77

"Because..."

I don't know how polite it is, but I often feel like saying to Mr./Ms. JabberJaws, "Do you want to be almost immediately twice as happy?", and if they answer "Yes", then I would say "Then only speak half as often as think you should".

Because man oh man the people I see yammering away almost always end-up screwing themselves with the things the say.

guitamoir

"Sometimes..."

Sometimes just listening to what they have to say helps, they could just have a lot to talk about and no one else to talk to.

343-guilty-mendicant

"I generally say something..."

I generally say something along the lines of, "I hate to cut off your train of thought, but I just had the thought of [relevant point that moves the convo in a new direction or to a topic I can talk more about]" or "So sorry to cut this conversation short, but I need to be going to [appointment] so we'll have to pick this up another time!" Or if I'm at a gathering I'll say "I've just seen someone I need to catch up with, may I excuse myself?"

fishy-in-water

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Seth Meyers discussing Donald Trump
@MarcoFoster/X

Seth Meyers Responds To Trump's 'Truly Deranged' Personal Attack Against Him With Hilarious Takedown

After President Donald Trump lashed out at late-night host Seth Meyers on Truth Social over the weekend and called him a "truly deranged lunatic," Meyers responded to Trump’s “ranting and raving” about him with a damning supercut on his program.

Trump apparently tuned in to Thursday night’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, where Meyers poked fun at the president’s complaints about Navy aircraft carriers using electromagnetic catapults instead of traditional steam-powered ones. Meyers joked that Trump "spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E. Coyote."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @rootednjoyy's TikTok video
@rootednjoyy/TikTok

Girl's Hilarious Reaction To Getting Divisive Candy For Halloween Caught On Doorbell Cam

In the '80s and '90s, kids were raised with the understanding that they got what they got, and they should say, "Thank you," for what they received. This was true for birthdays, holidays, and trick-or-treating on Halloween, even if they got candy they wanted to throw away the instant they turned the corner.

But kids today are much more communicative about what they like and don't like, and they can be brutal in their bluntness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lauren Boebert
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Lauren Boebert Slammed After Photos Of Her Racist ICE-Theme Halloween Costume Emerge

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert—one of the most prominent MAGA voices in Congress—has sparked outrage after she and her boyfriend Kyle Pearcy attended a Halloween party dressed as a Mexican woman and an ICE agent.

Boebert wore a sombrero and a traditional Mexican-style dress to a party in Loveland, Colorado, while Pearcy, a realtor, attended dressed as an ICE agent, complete with a uniform and weapon. The event took place amid growing outrage over President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown that is tearing apart families across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Marjorie Taylor Greene
ABC

MTG Just Admitted The Awkward Truth About The Republican Healthcare Plan On 'The View'

Speaking on The View, Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke about sparring with House Speaker Mike Johnson over healthcare—and revealed that the GOP does not have any replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) despite what Johnson and her fellow congressional conservatives tell the public.

Democrats have continued to reject Republicans’ proposed continuing resolution to keep the government open without considering an extension of the premium tax credit that helps subsidize health insurance for people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.

Keep ReadingShow less
protest with flat Earth sign
Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash

People Share The Best Ways To Shut Down A Debate With A Flat Earther Family Member

The Flat Earth conspiracy theory is strictly a modern online movement, rumored to have begun as a prank, that gained momentum among people who mistrust authority through the power of social media.

There is a persistent myth that Europeans in the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat. But that is a 19th-century fabrication to sell Columbus Day, not historical reality.

Keep ReadingShow less