Skip to content

By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.

The Jefferson Fisher PodcastThe Jefferson Fisher Podcast

What to do When Someone Talks Over You

Want a FREE communication tip each week? Ever had someone start talking over you while you were still mid-sentence? In this episode, I break down exactly what to do when that happens.

Jefferson Fisherhost
Jun 30, 202512mWatch on YouTube ↗

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Stay calm, keep talking, and name interruptions to regain floor

  1. Snarky or “cute” comebacks and trying to out-yell an interrupter backfire by making you look desperate and escalating a power struggle.
  2. The first recommended move is to keep speaking at the same volume and pace, which highlights your composure and exposes the other person’s grasp for control.
  3. Resisting the urge to raise your voice prevents the conversation from turning into a shouting match where nobody listens or learns anything.
  4. If you can’t find an opening, say the interrupter’s name clearly to create a pause, then label the behavior directly with a “talk over” statement.
  5. Addressing talk-overs immediately helps prevent a pattern where others learn they can dismiss your input, as shown in a boardroom example where the interrupter apologized and stopped.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Don’t fight for the floor with sarcasm.

Lines like “Am I interrupting you?” tend to signal desperation and invite a control contest rather than cooperation.

Keep talking exactly as you were.

Maintaining the same pace and volume contrasts your calm stability with their frantic interruption, making their behavior more obvious to everyone.

Never try to win by getting louder.

Raising your voice triggers escalation and creates the same noisy dynamic as televised arguments—attention-seeking with no real listening.

Use their name as a non-hostile interrupt tool.

Saying “David.” or “Jefferson.” clearly (not angrily) reliably grabs attention and produces the pause you need to speak.

Label the behavior with “talk over” in the moment.

Phrases like “I can’t hear you when you talk over me” or “It’s not helpful when you talk over me” clarify what’s happening and set a boundary.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

All of a sudden they are controlling the floor. Now they're dominating the conversation, and you really don't have another window, and you feel defeated.

— Jefferson Fisher

Because it makes you look desperate.

— Jefferson Fisher

Keep talking just like you were. Do not stop.

— Jefferson Fisher

Use their name. People love to hear their name. There's no sweeter sound than the sound of their own name.

— Jefferson Fisher

You can't let it keep going on. Why? Because you're otherwise establishing a pattern of how they can treat you, how they can talk to you, that it's just a given that your opinion does not matter as much as theirs.

— Jefferson Fisher

Read the available transcript
Talking over vs. interrupting dynamicsWhy sarcasm/snark fails in conflictMaintaining steady tone and tempoDe-escalation and attention controlUsing someone’s name to create a conversational “window”Directly labeling the behavior (“talk over”)Stopping patterns of dismissive treatment in meetings

SPEAKERS

  • Jefferson Fisher

    host

    Communication coach and creator behind the Jefferson Fisher channel who teaches practical conversation and conflict skills.

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

Read along on your phone, search it beside the video, or ask your favorite AI app what was said.

iOSAndroidClaudeChatGPTChrome