Find Out if You Are Boring

Have you ever had someone tell you that you're boring?  We all know that no one's going to tell us we're boring, so it's a good thing that LinkedIn writer, Gretchen Rubin came up with a check list for people to find that out for themselves.  During conversations with people, see if you can notice any of these signs that they are bored with what you're saying.

1. Repeated, perfunctory responses.  If a person says, "Oh really? That's interesting." alot, then they are probably actually not  is probably not very interested in the conversation.  That also goes for someone who keeps saying, "That's hilarious."

2. Simple questions. People who are bored ask simple questions and don't ask more complicated questions that show genuine interest.  An example of a simple question would be "When did you move?" "Where did you go?".  Simple questions come from people just being polite.

3. Interruption. Although it sounds rude, interruption is actually a good sign. It means a person is bursting to say something, and that shows interest.  This is not to be confused with cutting you off in mid-sentence, and then getting up to go somewhere else.  That definitely shows they are bored.

4. Request for clarification. A person who finds conversation with you engaging will ask for you to elaborate or explain further. "Now, what do you mean by that?" "When exactly did that happen?"

5. Imbalance of talking time. If somebody is letting you do all the talking, it's because they want the conversation to end faster.  Either that, or you are a conversation hog and not asking them any questions to show interest in that person.

6. Body position. People with a good connection usually fully face each other.  If the person you're talking to is partially turned away, then they are looking for anything that's more interesting to come along.

7. Fidgeting. Bored people fidget more, just to find something else to do while you're talking.  Or maybe they just have ants in their pants?