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Business English: Interrupting Politely / Resisting Interruption
6 years ago Business English: Interrupting Politely / Resisting Interruption
Imagine that you are in a business meeting and everybody is speaking really quickly. It is difficult to keep up with what is going on and you need to stop the conversation to ask for clarification, but you don’t know how to do it. Where do you start?
Imagine that a co-worker says something that you completely disagree with in a meeting , maybe it is something completely untrue, how do you interrupt them to set the record straight?
In the workplace, some co-workers may have a habit of cutting across you as you speak and more dominant personalities may try to speak over you during meetings. This can be very stressful and annoying. It is important in these situations that we can assert ourselves in a calm and measured fashion.
Today’s blog post looks at some of the phrases and questions you can use to interrupt others and also prevent others from interrupting you. Memorize the phrases that are most relevant to you and start asserting yourself in the workplace!
>> Interrupting Politely
Sorry, can I just come in here?
Sorry, can I ask a question?
Excuse me for interrupting, but can I just add a few words on to what Noel said.
Sorry to butt in, Mary. It’s just that I don’t feel we have adequately discussed the issue.
Sorry Peter, but could I just interrupt you there?
Sorry guys, but can I just say something on that?
Sorry to interrupt, but hasn’t this been agreed already?
>> Resisting interruption
Sorry, could you hold on a sec, let me just finish what I was saying…
Thanks Peter, but I’ll come to that in a moment. So, as I just mentioned …
Excuse me Max, but I haven’t finished what I was saying. So, as I said, …
May I just finish this point? I’ll return to that issue at the end.
Just a moment please; I won’t be long. I´ll deal with your questions at the end.
Discussion
Do you work with people who are always interrupting you? How do you deal with them?
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