8 Signs You Are a Conversational Narcissist
A conversational narcissist is an individual who tends to always turn a conversation to themselves. In general, a conversational narcissist doesn’t care much about what other people say – they’ll usually leave the conversation when it is no longer about them.
Having narcissistic traits doesn’t make you an actual narcissist – so don’t worry! Showing conversational narcissism doesn’t make you a bad person. But, it is important to understand the traits of conversational narcissism.
So, let’s take a deeper look.
8 signs you are a conversational narcissist
Unknown to the conversational narcissist – or sometimes just simply considered irrelevant – is how dominating a conversation makes the other participant feel.
Though these types of conversations may feel productive, as you are saying all that you need to, the one-sided nature of these conversations is more likely to offset any real connection from being made.
Many of us will be conversational narcissists some of the time, but if the below resonates with you too frequently, you may wish to consider the impact it’s having on your relationships – be it business or personal.
- Talking for ages without considerate breaks
Talking for long periods of time and not letting the conversation partner speak often – or at all – in a conversation is a massive red flag that you’re showing signs of conversational narcissism. A narcissist gives people little to no time or room for others to get a word in, let alone speak in a conversation.
By concentrating largely on what they want to talk about and paying little to no attention to the thoughts and feelings of other people, they dominate and restrict conversation time for others. The narcissist communicator is self-centred in a dysfunctional sense. You might give an arrogant response rather than a supportive response if you are a conversational narcissist, for example.
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- Interrupting all the time
Another common pattern of narcissistic communication is having a tendency to interrupt others frequently while they are speaking. This is either done to disrupt people and draw attention back to yourself, or it is done to assess and disprove what someone is saying. Conversational narcissists promote their erroneous feeling of arrogance and entitlement by often interrupting others when they are speaking, which comes across as rude and ignorant.
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- Controlling the topic of conversation
In any healthy conversation, each individual should take turns speaking and listening to each other with mutual interest, with the conversation prone to a change in topic from either speaker. If you hoard or dominate a conversation, you might come across as self-absorbed. If you only care about what you have to say and what you want to talk about in a balanced conversation, you’re likely a conversational narcissist.
Taking control over deep conversations – not having any interest in anyone else nor the conversation topic they’d like to discuss – is a red flag when it comes to conversational narcissism. It shows you have a lack of acknowledgement for other people’s views and interests and an astonishing lack of empathy.
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- Making conversations about yourself
You may believe that you don’t seek attention, but if you are always attempting to voice your opinions and be heard rather than paying attention to others, you are showing signs of being a conversational narcissist. Being too busy vying for attention rather than engaging in a conversation whereby multiple people are sharing opinions or thoughts is a red flag.
Conversational narcissists tend to interrupt others and control both speaking time and topics in a conversation because they want to make the conversation about themselves. You might also relate to things too much, and, rather than show emotion toward what someone is saying, try making the discussion about yourself and your own experiences.
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- Acting superior
A narcissistic person might come across as insanely superior and egotistical, which makes it even less likely that other people will interrupt them out of fear of being mocked or labelled foolish. If you act arrogant and control conversation time and topics, you are showing signs of acting superior which is very narcissistic. Some people have an exaggerated sense of superiority.
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- Lacking listening and empathy skills
Narcissists tend to listen inadequately since they are primarily focused on themselves and only their own thoughts. If you consistently fail to recognise or validate what the other person in a discussion or conversation has said, even when what they have communicated is important or personal, you could be showing signs of conversational narcissism. This trait can also make it hard to have a loving relationship.
- Being a know-it-all
A know-it-all person acts as though they know everything and tends to dismiss the thoughts and opinions of others due to this obsession with always being right.
Narcissists think they are better than others, and this can be expressed through how they act in a conversation. This could be because you have a sense of conceit or a false sense of dominance. Conversation relationships aren’t good if you’re a know-it-all, after all.
- Giving uninvited advice
If you tend to give unsolicited advice which is uncalled for and unnecessary, with no intention of actually helping or having any interest, you may be showing signs of a conversational narcissist. This could be a result of arrogance and an obsession with feeling superior. A narcissist also won’t take advice from people yet they crave attention from people.
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If you feel that you or an individual within your business lacks communication skills or shows any aforementioned traits of a conversational narcissist, you needn’t worry. That’s because alldayPA can help! Be it an international conversation or a call with someone in your area, we provide an expert call answering service – all day and every day.
We answer calls for all sorts of businesses, providing you with anything from a basic answering service to an outsourced call centre. Customers will receive better service as a result, and you’ll have more time to expand your business and complete your primary operations.
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