Women Who Talk Too Much

Or, for those of you who love acronyms like me, WWTTM.

One reason I've heard (and observed) men frequently interrupt women is that women blather on A LOT. We talk a lot. I try not too, because I listen to classmates and colleagues do it and I hate how it sounds. Many women don't demonstrate much confidence when they speak, and so to reassure themselves they are making a clear point (or something - I'm not actually sure of the reason), they tend to repeat themselves and then trail off in the middle of a sentence. In fact, it's almost as if many women have been interrupted so often that they speak expecting to be interrupted.

I think women should practice making concise statements that express their point, practice delivering them confidently, and practice ENDING a statement. Time yourself. Talk to yourself in the car. My radio was stolen and I'm an impoverished grad student, so instead of listening to NPR I talk to myself. Once you've established yourself in a certain forum as a straightforward speaker, you can then elaborate more. At least in theory.

Thinking back to the Rice/Lavrov incident, however, Condi was not, as some women do "going on and on." Lavrov really interrupted her. Partly nature, partly nurture? I don't know, but I'm sick and tired of listening to my classmates speak in a way that does not demonstrate confidence and that continues to reinforce the "Blathering Woman" stereotype. We can be pity, witty, and incisive - all it takes is practice. Don't set yourself up to be interrupted - that way if someone does, you'll have the confidence to say, "Excuse me," and keep talking.

Just try to interrupt me. ;)