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by __s 2272 days ago
A lot of people will start talking before they've thought through something, figuring out what they're saying half way. There's been past HN threads getting into how some cultures have small interjections which the speaker generally talks over to collaboratively steer conversation which can have this "floor exchange" occur when the speaker responds to the interruptions with a prompt

I've met some people who think all the way through what they say before speaking. Interrupting generally shuts them up, so one has to learn to not. Important to stop talking & wait for response, double digit silence may be the right call

If you're the latter type, you can help people understand this is your preferred mode of communication by finding a way to non verbally signal that you're thinking. It can be as stupid as pointing a finger aimlessly if you're thinking of a response after half a second of silence, to sign that if the speaker doesn't continue you will eventually bring something up. Thought being put into responses is appreciated in the end