You are not being heard
What to say when someone talks over you
“I haven’t finished. I’d like one more minute, and then I’ll listen to you.”
It keeps your turn without accusing anyone of taking it, and the promise to listen makes it easy for them to stop.
What is happening
You are mid-sentence and someone starts speaking over you, or one person takes over every meeting. Raising your voice to compete turns it into a contest. Asking calmly to finish keeps your turn without accusing anyone of taking it.
Say it at your normal volume, and finish your point quickly once you have the floor.
If they push back
They may say they only need a second. They might say:
“I’m just making a quick point.”
Be generous, and keep your place in the queue:
“Of course. Let me finish this one, and then it’s yours.”
The part this page cannot settle
There are two other ways to say this, one softer and one firmer. Which one fits depends on who keeps doing it, how senior they are, and whether it happens in every meeting. Choosing well is most of the work.
The Complete Lines has all three for this moment and for every other one, sorted by what is happening to you. If you have a meeting about it coming up, the first page helps you work out what to say before you walk in, and it is free.