Say, “I wasn’t quite finished. I’d like to complete my comment, and then I’d love to hear your thoughts.” Then finish your point. If the interruptions keep happening, address the pattern privately or ask the meeting facilitator to return the floor to you. A calm, direct request can help you reclaim your turn, but it cannot guarantee how the other person will respond.
What to say when you’re interrupted
Pause briefly, then use a short sentence that names what happened and what you need. For example: “I wasn’t quite finished. I’d like to complete my comment, and then I’d love to hear your thoughts.” This wording comes from a Harvard Business Review meeting-participation tip adapted from Paul Axtell.
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Continue with the point you were making. You do not need to raise your voice or argue over who gets to speak. If the other person starts talking again, repeat the request once, calmly: “I’d like to finish this thought first.” Adapt the wording to your workplace, seniority, and comfort level.
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How to respond to a repeated pattern
When interruptions recur, speak with the colleague privately if that feels appropriate. Describe what you observed and make a specific request, rather than guessing at their motive. You could say: “In the last few meetings, I’ve been cut off before finishing my update. Could you let me finish before responding?”
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If the pattern continues, keep brief notes about concrete examples: the meeting, what you were saying, what happened, and whether you were able to finish. This gives you specifics if you decide to raise the issue with a manager or another appropriate workplace channel. If there is a power imbalance or you do not feel safe addressing the colleague directly, you can choose a private channel instead. There is no single escalation route that fits every workplace.
What a meeting facilitator can do
A facilitator can set a participation norm at the start: let people finish their thoughts before responding. If someone is cut off, the facilitator can return the floor to them with a simple prompt, such as, “Let’s hear the rest of that point.”
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If one person is taking most of the airtime, the facilitator can invite others in and set a limit without turning it into a public reprimand. A Harvard Business Review example is: “Andre, let me get some others into this conversation, and then I’ll come back to you, OK?” The aim is to protect the current speaker’s turn and make room for other contributions.
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- One brief overlap: Use a short in-the-moment request and carry on with your point.
- A recurring pattern with a colleague: Give private, behavior-focused feedback and ask for a specific change.
- A meeting where you are not the facilitator: Ask the facilitator to help ensure people can finish their comments.
- A pattern involving a power imbalance or safety concern: Consider a private manager or other appropriate workplace channel rather than confronting the person directly.
- You are leading the meeting: Set expectations, restore the floor when someone is interrupted, and invite contributions from people who have not spoken.
These are practical options, not a tested ranking. A single overlap does not establish why someone interrupted; focus on the behavior and its effect rather than assigning intent.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the available evidence does—and does not—show
A June 3, 2026 Harvard Business Review article summarized a qualitative study of 27 employees and leaders. Its summary reported unequal experiences of interruption: women and employees from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups were interrupted more frequently, often before finishing an idea. Some participants said they responded by speaking less, self-censoring, or withdrawing. Because this was a small qualitative study, those findings do not establish how common the experience is across the workforce.
A 2021 study by Harshad Puranik, Joel Koopman, and Heather C. Vough followed 111 participants over three weeks to examine daily work interruptions broadly and their possible effects on job satisfaction. It was not a study of meeting turn-taking, so it does not provide a rate for how often people are talked over in meetings. The sources cited here do not establish a population-wide prevalence estimate for meeting interruptions.
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