The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

 

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser.

June 15, 2017 How to Stop That Colleague Who Always Interrupts You One of your colleagues interrupts you in the middle of a presentation. You pause, address the question, and continue with your point — until they interrupt again. All of us have known colleagues who seem unable to let us finish a sentence. What can you do to stop the rude behavior? Try preempting them. Before you start talking, preview what you plan to say and stipulate when it’s OK to break in. You might say, “There are a lot of different pieces to this explanation, so please bear with me. I want to tell you the entire story, and then I want to get your thoughts on specific details.” This type of preview may stop the interrupter before they start. If the interruptions continue, speak to the person in private. Give the interrupter the benefit of the doubt; they may not realize how their behavior seems to you. Explain what you’ve observed and for how long, and explain how it affects you (and others, if appropriate). This kind of straight talk, when framed constructively, is an effective way to get results. Adapted from "How to Handle Interrupting Colleagues," by Francesca Gino

BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials | HBR's 10 Must Reads Boxed Set | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations | HBR Guide to Better Business Writing | HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

FEATURED PRODUCT Uncommon Service Frances Frei and Anne Morriss Uber recently announced its appointment of Frances Frei as Senior Vice President of Leadership & Strategy to help architect and adapt Uber's cultural philosophy. In her book, Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business, Frei and her coauthor Anne Morriss say that “culture defines an enormous part of the stakeholder experience—every employee decision, every customer touch point.” They go on to argue that service must become a competitive weapon if companies are to win. And to do that means weaving customers tightly into every decision a company makes. Frei and Morriss make a powerful case for a new and systematic approach to service as a means of boosting productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage. Buy Uncommon Service today and learn more about their approach.

FEATURED PRODUCT HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Sales (Paperback + Ebook) Harvard Business Review Don't just push products to sell. Build the right systems to manage and empower your salespeople. If you read nothing else on sales, read these 10 articles. This book will inspire you to understand your customer's buying center; integrate your sales and marketing operations; assess your business cycle and its impact on your sales force; transition away from solution sales; leverage the power of micromarkets; introduce tiebreaker selling and consensus selling; and motivate your sales force properly. Save 30% off the individual component prices when you order this paperback + ebook collection. Buy Now

ADVERTISEMENT

HBR.ORG | TOPICS | THE MAGAZINE | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2017 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-988-0886 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7500 (outside the U.S. and Canada)