When Others Prattle Endlessly

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Sometimes you just have to nod and smile. They are excited about things in their lives and they choose to share it with you.

It's good to be seen as agreeable even if you aren't over the top enthusiastic.

I don't mind when people talk about what they like, as long as they accept me and my interests.

Yep.....and maybe, out of all this "prattle," some tidbit will actually be interesting.....

I found it dull and mundane however it was important to these two people. Most of the conversation was geared towards their obsession with social climbing. I'm ok with that in small doses. I pride myself on being able to listen to people.

LOL...it's a one in a thousand phenomenon.....but, ever-so-rarely, something useful comes out of the "prattle."

Not with these two and I don't mean it in a bad way. Small talk and social climbing are not subjects of ease or incredible interest for me. I've since learned over the years to be less like the lead character on Bones or Big Bang Theory.

The guy in the glasses (in Big Bang Theory) actually does pretty well for himself.

I wouldn't mind having his life.

Oh, I'm bad with this. Not mean or anything - but I'm old enough now that I really do feel my time is limited and I'm not willing to give it away for stuff like this anymore.

Because in my experience (others' may differ) these folks never, ever have time to listen *back*. It's never reciprocal, and at my age that seems to matter a lot more than it once did.

(Or if they *do* listen back, you find whatever you shared with them coming back at you, distorted into something hostile if not unrecognizable, from some indignant third party. "X told me you said THIS AWFUL THING" when you never said anything at all like Awful Thing. Ugh... )

I'm not mean or even particularly direct - I just wait until they have to stop for breath and cheerily excuse myself. So much to do, been lovely to see you, etc.

Kudos to those who can field this better than I, you're gathering crowns in Heaven for sure.

Esmeralda, I don't do it that often as you said, don't want to waste time on it.

Kraftie, the BBT character being fictional let's keep in mind that behavior would never fly in real life......

I'm in a position where occasionally I have to interview candidates for a job if we need to fill an opening. I don't look forward to the process at all but when it's necessary it's necessary.

A co-worker and I interviewed a person last year. This person talked loudly and went on and on about things that the person had been experiencing and about the person's family and some trials they had been going through. Minute details of the trials. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the minute as I wasn't sure how to change the subject, when to "jump in", etc. I believed my co-worker was feeling some of what I was feeling because it was going on and on. The situation was surreal and I honestly don't recall, but either my co-worker or I actually said out loud: "Ok, that's enough." And the person thankfully stopped talking and we were able to conclude the interview. Part of the reason for the prattling with job interview jitters on the part of the applicant and part was the person's personality.

We hired that person because of that person's qualifications. That person is prone to prattling on about things but has job duties to attend to. I keep conversations short in general (I'm at work after all) but even shorter with that person.

Apologies for the genderless nature of my story, but I don't want to be any more specific than that.

Esmerelda is right. People always expect us to listen to them yammer on about their stuff, but they never show any interest in our stuff.

It depends what they're talking about. I have an interest in people, so I like to hear what people have to say. But some topics I find boring. At the moment two colleagues at my work both love Love Island, this TV show that I have no interest in at all, but they sit and talk about it endlessly during the coffee break. I like sitting with people but when they talk about useless s**t, it gets boring to listen to.

Have a similar job related thing. A person I work with, and who is sometimes my immediate low level supervisor.

She just has a thing about complaining. Bonds with you by complaining.

Sometimes the complaining is just inane and annoying. So I "politely grin and nod".

Other times this person's complaining really crosses a line into being unprofessional, in my opinion.

At a job interview, Magna? Smh.

Joe90, I know what you mean. Only so much you can take. On a side note, I love UK commercials. We watch wrestling broadcast from the UK.