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> I'll interrupt to ask clarifying questions while the specific topic is still relevant As someone who usually does not like to be interrupted, I would have no

by jraph 4y ago

> I'll interrupt to ask clarifying questions while the specific topic is still relevant As someone who usually does not like to be interrupted, I would have no problem being interrupted this way. I prefer being understood as I speak so I can clarify and possibly adapt as we speak.

packetlost 4y ago
Most people do not seem to mind, and I usually try to avoid cutting people off as much as possible; even if that means I have to be like "hold on, did you mean xyz?" as they start the next sentence/topic. Usually works out pretty well. On that note, asking a clarifying question in the form of a statement of your current understanding of something is IME the best way to come to an understanding of complex discussion.
- borski 4y ago
  I agree with this, fwiw, and do this too. Interrupting is often also a tactic for keeping me engaged, given the ADHD. My advice in the above comment is meant for tangential interruptions rather than clarifying interruptions. My brain is a stack, and most people are queues, so if I don’t write it down, I have already forgotten it; but that’s only really important for interruptions that lead to tangents.
  - int3 4y ago
    I'm skeptical that most people's short-term memory is queue-like. More likely that they are better at remembering earlier stack entries, or that they are simply less neurotic when forgetting about them.
    - borski 4y ago
      That hasn’t been my experience. Most people around me seem to have mental checklists, and new things get added to the bottom of those checklists, not the top.
exmadscientist 4y ago
More specifically: interrupting to advance or clarify what a speaker is saying is very, very different from interrupting to redirect a conversation (especially interrupting to change topic to the interrupter's preference). Interrupts from an active, engaged listener are usually received positively.

by jraph 4y ago

packetlost 4y ago

Most people do not seem to mind, and I usually try to avoid cutting people off as much as possible; even if that means I have to be like "hold on, did you mean xyz?" as they start the next sentence/topic. Usually works out pretty well. On that note, asking a clarifying question in the form of a statement of your current understanding of something is IME the best way to come to an understanding of complex discussion.

borski 4y ago
I agree with this, fwiw, and do this too. Interrupting is often also a tactic for keeping me engaged, given the ADHD. My advice in the above comment is meant for tangential interruptions rather than clarifying interruptions. My brain is a stack, and most people are queues, so if I don’t write it down, I have already forgotten it; but that’s only really important for interruptions that lead to tangents.
- int3 4y ago
  I'm skeptical that most people's short-term memory is queue-like. More likely that they are better at remembering earlier stack entries, or that they are simply less neurotic when forgetting about them.
  - borski 4y ago
    That hasn’t been my experience. Most people around me seem to have mental checklists, and new things get added to the bottom of those checklists, not the top.

exmadscientist 4y ago

More specifically: interrupting to advance or clarify what a speaker is saying is very, very different from interrupting to redirect a conversation (especially interrupting to change topic to the interrupter's preference). Interrupts from an active, engaged listener are usually received positively.