Manage interruptions while protecting everyone’s opportunity to speak.

The idea

Politely ask to finish your point, then return to the interruption; invite a colleague back in if their turn was cut short.

Examples

  • May I finish this point first?
  • I will come back to your question shortly.
  • Please go ahead once I have explained the figures.
  • I think you were interrupted; would you like to continue?
  • Let us hear the rest of the proposal.
  • Thank you for waiting; what was your concern?

Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.

Watch out

Avoid demanding silence or ignoring the interruption entirely; acknowledge the other person and offer a turn.

Try it yourself

  1. Could I ___ my thought before we move on? (finish / finishes)

    Show answer or example answer

    finish

    finish asks to complete the current thought.

  2. Let us ___ back to your question in a moment. (come / came)

    Show answer or example answer

    come

    come promises to return to the question.

  3. Please ___ after the interruption. (continue / continues)

    Show answer or example answer

    continue

    continue invites the interrupted person to resume.

Use it today

Practise finishing a point and returning the floor to a colleague.