Hold Your Thoughts.

[AmsterdamAssassin]

I tried something last week to overcome an obstacle for many beginners: breaking into a conversation.

When I'm counselling people and they are telling me something, when I need to interrupt, I often use the phrase 'hold that thought' to show that I'm temporarily break into their flow.

Last week, as an experiment, I interrupted five conversations between girlfriends talking with each other using the phrase and inserting myself into their conversation. All five were received without any protestations and just for kicks I exchanged IG with them. Three are now orbiting me.

Of course, when you try this, remember that it's not just the phrase but also the tone and the authority behind the phrase that decides whether you can apply this successfully.

 

[Mike32ct]

I find it frustrating when somebody changes conversation topics rapidly. They might mention something of great interest to me and be three topics away from it by the time I have a chance to respond. (Extroverts, especially extroverted women tend to do this more ime.)

I would love to be able to hit a “pause” button lol.

As an introvert, I prefer to stay on a given topic for a while for greater depth before moving on.

 

[Westminster]

I tried something last week to overcome an obstacle for many beginners: breaking into a conversation.

When I'm counselling people and they are telling me something, when I need to interrupt, I often use the phrase 'hold that thought' to show that I'm temporarily break into their flow.

Last week, as an experiment, I interrupted five conversations between girlfriends talking with each other using the phrase and inserting myself into their conversation. All five were received without any protestations and just for kicks I exchanged IG with them. Three are now orbiting me.

Of course, when you try this, remember that it's not just the phrase but also the tone and the authority behind the phrase that decides whether you can apply this successfully.

Nice line. What sort of tone and delivery are using though?

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Nice line. What sort of tone and delivery are using though?

I mostly use my public speaking tone - I have a rather deep voice, and I speak each word slowly. Hold. That. Thought. And then I insert myself in their conversation.

 

[Westminster]

I mostly use my public speaking tone - I have a rather deep voice, and I speak each word slowly. Hold. That. Thought. And then I insert myself in their conversation.

Cool. It takes some confidence to pull that off tho, brother.

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Cool. It takes some confidence to pull that off tho, brother.

Well, I pulled it off five times last week. Like everything else, if you get used to using the phrase and segueing into your conversation point, you will use it more often.