Tuning people out

eilcon · Apr 13, 2006

I really try to be a attentive, compassionate listener, but it's so hard with some people. Just got back from lunch with one of my coworkers - sweet lady, but boy can she talk. She was going on and on about her sister's sister-in-law who's son's girlfriend's mother is having a problem with her boss. I loss track of who's related to who and was totallly tuning her out and I was nodding and making sympathetic noises. Do you ever find yourself doing this?

willowsmom · Apr 13, 2006

OH yeah! all the time......most of my friends just like to talk and talk about nothing really...even have one that will sit there and repeat the same story to just me 2 times in a row!!! so I use what I call the Smile and nod.....smile and nod and make your uh hu and yea's and oh... and make um think you are listening

catloverin_ks · Apr 13, 2006

Originally Posted by eilcon

I really try to be a attentive, compassionate listener, but it's so hard with some people. Just got back from lunch with one of my coworkers - sweet lady, but boy can she talk. She was going on and on about her sister's sister-in-law who's son's girlfriend's mother is having a problem with her boss. I loss track of who's related to who and was totallly tuning her out and I was nodding and making sympathetic noises. Do you ever find yourself doing this?

The way you explained that, made me chuckle!! I hate that when people do that~just ramble on and on and its like "who cares" LOL....I know how ya feel. My aunts hubby is soooooo bad about that, people hate getting stuck in the same room as him, because well for one he has bad hygene-lol and for two he just rambles and rambles about nothing!!!

katiemae1277 · Apr 13, 2006

yeah I do this with my friend Rob on the phone- he talks about cars sometimes and I'm not all the knowledegable about cars so I make the um-hmmm and really? noises

phenomsmom · Apr 13, 2006

I understand how you feel. We have one "child" here that has so much drama in her life she shold be a soap opera. except noone would watch becasue NOONE CARES!!

fwan · Apr 13, 2006

i did that to my date the other night He rambled on about football!

gemlady · Apr 13, 2006

Equally guilty.

eilcon · Apr 13, 2006

Glad I'm not the only one. What's really sweet and funny about this lady is that she'll be the first to admit that she talks ALOT! She's famous around our office for the very detailed stories she tells about all the happenings in her life whether it's her son's love life or shopping for a new fridge!

We know everything about her!

lunasmom · Apr 13, 2006

I do it with MANY people. If its work, I'll just walk away. I Know its rude, but come on, I don't want to be looked down by the boss for idle chit-chat.

I've also done it with B too. When he was without a job, he started to complain alot. He's picked up on it too...I've have a nasty habit of reusing phrases so after saying "Oh OK", or just "OK" 100 times he started to question me.

yosemite · Apr 13, 2006

I have a problem with people that drag out stories - they go around the bushes and through the trees and up and down little hills before they ever get around to the gist of the story by which time I've stopped listening.

kittylover4ever · Apr 13, 2006

Oh gosh I do that with Jerry all the time. Love him to bits, but some of the things he loves bore the heck out of me......

kaleetha · Apr 13, 2006

um... yes... guilty as charged.... electronics conversations or D&D in my case....

staciej · Apr 13, 2006

Of course! Mostly if I'm the telephone and doing something else (erm, like using the computer) I once sat through an entire conversation with my friend about 3 guys while doing my homework.

All I said were "thats too bad" and "all guys are like that" at various points in the conversation.

I lose track easily unless I write it down, thats why I love talking to people through e-mail/aim.

menagerie mama · Apr 13, 2006

All the time, I think I have adult ADD...

tari · Apr 13, 2006

I hate to admit it, but I'm guilty of it on a fairly regular basis. Part of my job is to be a charming, attentive hostess to our association members. Sometimes, though, it gets pretty tedious. So you kinda start tuning them out and just smile and nod knowingly.

scamperfarms · Apr 13, 2006

yup whenever steve and his buds start about drums..ect

ilovesiamese · Apr 13, 2006

I try really hard not too, but sometimes when people just go on and on, I find myself doing that or if I have something really important on my mind.

OK OK, I have to admit more people probably tune me out than I tune them out...and to be honest, I don't really care, just as long as they pretend and I can get it out. I LOVE to talk lol.

cheeseface · Apr 13, 2006

Originally Posted by eilcon

I really try to be a attentive, compassionate listener, but it's so hard with some people. Just got back from lunch with one of my coworkers - sweet lady, but boy can she talk. She was going on and on about her sister's sister-in-law who's son's girlfriend's mother is having a problem with her boss. I loss track of who's related to who and was totallly tuning her out and I was nodding and making sympathetic noises. Do you ever find yourself doing this?

Huh? What were you saying? I wasn't paying attention.

trouts mom · Apr 13, 2006

I was just talking to my mom on the phone actually while on this forum..and I was reading away and typing away..Every once in a while I would say "yep, uh huh".

I know it's my mom..but you know moms, they talk for hours about nothing

eupnea · Apr 13, 2006

hahaa. There's a girl like that in one of my classes. She has a personal story to go along with nearly every situation. She's very nice, but her stories are so boring! Luckily she hasn't noticed me tuning her out

Tuning people out

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