You’re in the office and you’ve just asked the new guy or girl to complete a basic task. After waiting 30 minutes for what should have taken 10, you start to wonder whether they’ll ever come back. Whilst you impatiently glance at your watch you can see the same colleague walking towards you out of the corner of your eye.

You look closer only to realize don’t seem to have completed your task yet. Before you have the chance to ask what has happened there come the excuses. They explain EVERY reason (in detail) about why they couldn’t complete your basic request.

In another scenario, perhaps you’ve been put under the management of someone who has very recently been promoted.

They brief you on your task which you grasp very quickly (as it’s something you’re very familiar with) and yet for whatever reason unbeknown to you, they won’t let you get on with it.

They repeat over and over, with snippets of irrelevant information as though they just can’t get enough of the sound of their own voice.

Perhaps they don’t have very many people to talk to?

Perhaps they think I’m deaf?

…or an idiot?

No amount of “Yep, got it” or “I’ll get that done right away” seems to push these people off. They ignore your non-verbal cues which suggest ‘Yeah I get it stupid’ and continue to over-explain until what seemed like a straightforward concept now feels like rocket science.

You start to feel the frustration of having someone waste your valuable time. Sound familiar?

In this article we are going to outline our favorite 8 Scripts to deal with the ‘Over Explainer’ at Work:

Illustrations courtesy of Shutterstock.

Script 1 | Demonstrate Understanding 

Sorry for interrupting you [Insert Name], it’s not necessary to you explain everything, I just need to know where we are with this to plan accordingly.

I get the feeling you’re under a lot of pressure- is that the case?

Often when somebody starts to over-explain in a defensive way it is a sign of them feeling pressured.

The person may subconsciously see themselves as inferior and project an image of themselves being the lower end of the hierarchy when there’s no need to.

By telling them they’re unnecessarily trying to prove themselves when they’ve already jumped the tough hurdle (by securing the role in the first place) they main gain perspective and relax a little.

Script 2 | The Polite(ish) Shut Down

Excuse me [Insert Name] but honestly, I’m really busy right now. Can you try to cut your story a bit shorter?

With this method you should be a little bit careful, as you could cause offense, but if you are in a situation where you really don’t have the time to talk about things that don’t matter to you it may be the best choice. Keep your tone soft and friendly and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Time is money so when the person over-explaining their situation to you is not even a person that you” have to deal with very often, just shut them down in a polite way.

Script 3 | Ask for a Clear Answer

Sorry for interrupting you [Insert Name] but were you trying to say yes or no?

A lot of people tend to really start to over-explain due to their insecurities. Often in uncomfortable situations, people naturally tend to try to over-explain themselves when they think you’re not going to like the answer. Prompt them to get to the point.

Script 4 | Use Sarcasm

Yes, I can understand what you are talking about, I also recently had problems with finding the toilet in this office. Two days ago, I couldn’t find it, then I asked [Insert Name] and found it, but when I went there the door was locked.

When using strategies like this it is important that you already have developed a good relationship with your colleague as this can either be seen as banter or outright disrespect.

A little imitation will show irritating the behavior can be. It’s probably best to inject a bit of humor and light-heartedness to avoid getting into trouble with people.

Script 5 | Be Dismissive of Excuses  

Thanks for letting me know, but I don’t need to know all the details.

A good option can also be to tell them that you don’t need to know everything and that you trust and value their decision-making skills. Even if from time to time they’re going to make mistakes.

We all make mistakes, and you won’t be chopping off their head anytime soon so, to get them to ease up, why not let them know? If you use this script for a longer time, the person will eventually gain confidence.

Script 6 | When They Love The Sound of Their Own Voice  

I really don’t want to stop you [Insert Name] from talking, but there are a lot more people in this group discussion. So, do you mind cutting it a little bit short, so that everybody else has the same time to share the things they want to say?

This script would be the best script one could use if you are in a group discussion at work. In group discussions, you don’t have the time for over-explainers.

This is the script for those who appreciate efficiency. You don’t even have to be the leader of the group; others are likely to appreciate you creating space for others to express their opinions; especially if what was discussed was not leading anywhere.

Illustrations courtesy of Shutterstock.

This article was originally published on https://www.nevertherightword.com. If this article appears on any other site other than https://www.nevertherightword.com without clear referencing it is a violation of the copyright owned by https://www.nevertherightword.com.

This article may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy a product, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Never the Right Word is a participant in the Awin Affiliates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to participating merchants. For more information, please view our Privacy Policy and Earnings Disclosure page.

Script 7 | A Lack of Confidence  

[Insert Name] I really don’t mean to be offensive, but I have noticed that when you start to go too much into detail you just come across as insecure.

People that are frequently justifying themselves all the time are most likely people with insecurities. Looking back at the example of the introduction it is just very apparent, that a too-detailed description of your previous decisions just states how hard of a time you have with just cutting it short precise, and clear. Tell your colleague that instead of telling a long story, they would seem a lot more authentic if they would just get straight go to the point.

Script 8 | Just Be Direct  

Excuse me [Insert Name], but could we just get back to the point?

I’m not trying to stop you from talking but I think we really have more important things to discuss about right now.

An important word to emphasize in this script is the “we” by using the word we in this case, your co-worker is going to react less sensitive to your statement.

This script is a quick and easy way to bring a conversation back to its original point and puts the blame on both of you in a diplomatic way.

Chances are high that we’ve all been guilty of over-explaining at work and there’ll always be people who love to dominate a conversation. In order to maintain productivity and a pleasant working environment, it’s important to rain in the motormouth action where appropriate. Hopefully, we’ve given you some strategies you can use to deal with those who just don’t know when to stop. Eventually, even the most annoying over-explainer will become a more confident and direct person.

At Never the Right Word, our aim is to give you practical examples of how to handle life’s difficult conversations. If you have an awkward situation that you’d like example templates for, request a topic here.  

If you’re interested in further reading, we’ve also included links to our trusted resources and related posts below. To find out more about NTRW and our recommended tools, you can do that here.

Lastly, if you found this content helpful or want to share your own examples, let us know in the comments. We’d also be delighted if you shared this article and joined us on social media too!

Contact Us

Contact Form

Follow NTRW

Support NTRW

Donating to Never the Right Word will
help us produce more free content. Thank you!