When it comes to leveling up in your career, it's best to zip your mouth if you have nothing important to say and to choose your words wisely. According to Annie Stevens of leadership development and coaching firm ClearRock, many people don't realize that they talk too much, and this behavior is not ideal for a person's career.
Stevens points out that co-workers have little time for distractions, what with the longer hours of work everyone has to fulfill. A survey conducted by Manpower, a staffing firm, revealed that 67 percent of people are working more compared to how they did five years ago. This makes it impossible for people in the workplace to even have the time and energy to deal with a blabbermouth.
Whether it is beating around the bush in a meeting, taking too much time talking in an interview, or simply chattering excessively during break with your colleagues, it's best to just lessen the talking than be labeled an over talker.
For Stevens, the best way to stop this habit of being talkative at work is to "be brief, brilliant, and be gone." She also lists tips that could help chatty people at work trim down their talking airtime:
Prepare a guide or script. When talking about oneself in professional settings, a memorized or practiced 90-second response can serve as a summary for questions like "tell me about yourself". In meetings where one is tasked to give a presentation, outlining key ideas is an efficient way to reduce the chances of going off-tangent from what needs to be presented.
Actively Listen. Most people listen to respond, not to understand, according to a famous saying. Truly listening and paying special attention to the discussion allows for relevant follow-up questions. Active listening helps clear up the unnecessary areas that don't really need discussion, and will show genuine interest on what the other parties are saying.
