Quick Ideas 66 to 67 Don't Be Too Talkative Do you talk a Assignment lot--to the point of If you talk too much, people will it being almost a so- either avoid you or directly tell you so. cial handicap? Examine your situation and relation- There are many ships to determine if you talk too much. reasons for this, and being too talkative might integrate with a dominant or opinionated approach. But usually it stems from fear and low self-esteem. If you know this is you, you need to get your Chatty Cathy interactions under control. Being too talkative actually undermines your personal power and influence with others. First, if you talk too much, people can't get their opinions and ideas into the conversation. People shy away from conversations with talkative people because they can't participate fully in the conversation. Secondly, talkative folks tend to eat up people's time. They know if they stop by your office to say good morning, it could take half an hour to get away again. Although being social is a good thing, being overly talkative is a detriment to your relationships. 67 Epilogue Being too talkative undermines your personal power and influence with others. 85