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With interruptive listening, one person consistently interrupts another. You may have seen or heard instances of interruptive audience members, voicing their opinions or blurting out questions before the speaker is ready to entertain them. Speakers can also be interruptive listeners. For example, a speaker might see an audience member raise her hand; instead of recognizing her and listening to her question, the speaker cuts her off midsentence and finishes the question for her. Speakers who do this are likely to miss certain aspects of the question or comment. Worse, they often come across as rude and arrogant, thus losing the respect of their audience.

Be sure not to interrupt when listening to others—let them get their thoughts out fully before responding (if you are asked to respond). If you are the speaker dealing with an interruptive listener, tell the audience you’ll be happy to answer more questions at the end of the speech.