Butting In
Butting in to a conversation is when you interrupt someone while they are speaking.
It is usually not OK to butt in to a conversation. Butting in can make people annoyed or upset. Many adults do not like it when children interrupt their conversations.
It is more polite to wait your turn to speak. You do this by listening for a pause in the conversation.
Sometimes people do need to butt in. It is OK to do this if it is an emergency. It is sometimes OK to butt in if it is urgent, but we usually say sorry for doing so.
Butting in to someone else's conversation is not OK unless you have a very important reason to.
Talking Over Someone
Talking over someone is when you start talking while someone else is talking.
It is not okay to start talking while someone is talking. It can make people feel upset. Grown-ups especially don't like it when kids interrupt them.
It is better to wait for a little break in the talking before you say something. That is being polite. Grown-ups like it when children are polite.
Only if it is really, really important or an emergency, is it okay to interrupt. Just remember to say sorry afterwards.
Talking over someone is not okay unless you have a super important reason!
When I Interrupt Others
When I interrupt others I am stopping another person speaking so that I can speak.
When I interrupt other people who are talking I may make them cross with me. They might not want to stop talking then and might think that I am rude for interrupting them.
It is sometimes OK to interrupt someone if I am already having a conversation with them. I can say something helpful or interesting that is related to what they are saying. It is important that I say only a few words so that the other person can quickly continue talking.
When I need to interrupt someone who is already talking or listening to someone else I should wait patiently. I should wait my turn to talk. If I am waiting for a long time and it is important that I speak I can say 'Sorry to interrupt you but I need to tell you this'.
Knowing when it is OK to interrupt a conversation can be confusing. It is usually best to wait my turn to speak unless it is an emergency. Otherwise waiting for a good time to speak is best. If I can't wait I can say sorry that I interrupted their conversation.
