How to Handle a Talkative Coworker

Everyone loves a little friendly chatter at work every now and then. It keeps things comfortable and friendly. Sometimes though a coworker can be a little too talkative making it impossible for you to get any work done. Follow these steps to learn how to handle a talkative coworker.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Be honest but friendly. Let your coworker know that you're working under a deadline and don't have time to talk. Sometimes a talkative coworker just doesn't realize that they're being talkative or that you're under pressure to get something done.
2. Inform all your coworkers that you're under the gun and will need to be left alone for a certain period of time. This will prevent you from having to pinpoint the talkative coworker directly and risk offending him.
3. Suggest talking to your coworker at a different time. Tell her that you're busy working on an important project but would love to meet her for lunch later on. It's especially important to handle excessive talking this way if her friendship means something to you.
4. Ignore the chatter. If a coworker makes a comment that could be a potential conversation starter just handle it with a short answer that he can't reply to or just ignore it completely.
5. Ask your boss to intervene. He could remind everyone to keep all personal matters private while on the clock, to stay focused on work and avoid coworker chatter. You don't even have to bring up names to have the boss handle the situation.
6. Move to a different cubicle or office in order to finish your work. If necessary make the move permanent to remove yourself from the talkative coworker.

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