The communication Challenge: Interrupting and asking for clarification.
There is one idea running in your mind and you need to transfer this idea correctly to others during a discussion — sometimes this is not an easy task.
This reading is about how to be polite when interrupting a discussion and how to ask for clarification.
When we are working in a sensitive environment, for example generating ideas in a complex project, there are moments when we need to communicate our own ideas during a discussion. Sometimes is difficult how to do this effectively, and this meant giving the idea without collateral effects — like making feel others bad or not considered during the conversation.
In many cases the problem is not about the idea that we are sharing, it’s more about the way how we are sharing the idea. To share our idea during a discussion we need to learn how to interrupt or clarify correctly, so we focus more in introduce the message and avoid polite mistakes.
Interrupting
Even for skilled speakers, in some cases, It’s difficult to find the right moment to interrupt. Like the right moment to hit the ball — during the conversation, there is a right time window that is clocking.
In some cases, it’s more challenging to interrupt, for example when we need to stop the speaker at a certain time before finishes his idea to clarify that we do not agree with what will come next.
Mostly, to identify the correct moment to stop for interrupting, we need to identify when the speaker has finished his idea to interrupt at the right moment, or maybe to interrupt when is taking a pause to breathe.
Sometimes the silence is part of the conversation message, so if we are not able to interrupt we are making a music blank — we can also be communicating something by making silence. In case we think that silence means something, it is very important to correctly interrupt during a conversation for clarifying our point.
When we need to interrupt we can follow some rules, but keeping in mind that communication is an art — that is developed with practice, experience, and hard work. The simples tips to follow are:
Start your interruption by saying a phrase that helps you get a time window and the speakers attention, like:
1. Sorry…, 2. Excuse me…, 3. May…, 4. Can…, 5. Did you know…, 6. Sorry for interrupting, 7. Can I stop you there for a moment? 8. Before we move on to the next point, may I add…? 9. Or some introductory phrase that helps you to stop the conversation flow and give you the time to introduce your idea.
Some persons put a lot of mental resources and energy while they are speaking in a given conversation, so we need some introductory phrases and this will help us to stop the train correctly.
I found that American English speakers are fast, so if we finally don’t know how to jump to the water, ask directly for a time. Like saying “Just a minute please to…”.
Asking for Clarification
In some conversations, we are unsure or not clear enough about someone else’s point. Then, in case we need to ask for clarification, it’s very important to know how to do it correctly.
In some cases, people don’t ask for clarification because they don’t want to look out of context. I think that in many cases it’s is important to ask for clarification if we need it.
Like interrupting skills, asking for clarification is an art that is developed with practice and experience.
There are some simple rules to follow when you need to ask for clarification, here are some examples about how to start asking for clarification:
- Could you clarify that last point please before we move on?
- Sorry, but could you say that again?
- Sorry, Could you explain that fully?
- Could you clarify … for me, please?
- Could you give me an example, please?
- When you say …, that means… (summarize)?
- Would you mind explaining that a little more?
Finally, I found the following link helpful in finding ways to interrupt accordingly during conversations:
Best regards,
Luis Daniel Dorta.
