Ask a Colleague to Stop Interrupting You

This template covers a recurring meeting interruption pattern, not a one-off awkward moment. The learner practices speaking to a colleague who keeps talking over them during a project update, especially when others are present. It is designed for peer-to-peer communication where the goal is to protect working relationships while changing the behavior. If the issue is harassment, bullying, or a power imbalance, a different scenario may be a better fit.

A manager, team lead, coach, or employee can run it as self-practice. It works well for anyone who needs to speak up in meetings without sounding hostile or passive. Because the persona is defensive at first, the learner gets realistic practice handling pushback. It is especially useful for people who freeze, over-explain, or wait too long to address the pattern.

Use it whenever interruption is becoming a pattern and the learner wants a better first response. It can also be repeated after a real meeting if the learner wants to rehearse a cleaner opening line before the next conversation. Since the scenario is conversational, multiple attempts are useful for refining tone, specificity, and follow-through. The best use is short, focused practice with immediate retry.

The learner should name the interruption pattern, describe the impact, and make a specific request for future meetings. A strong response sounds calm and direct, such as noting that they were interrupted several times and need space to finish their update. The learner should avoid vague complaints like "you always cut me off" and instead anchor the feedback in observable behavior. The goal is to ask for a concrete change Morgan can repeat in the next meeting.

Common mistakes include waiting until the end of the meeting, softening the message so much that the issue stays unclear, or turning the conversation into a broad personality critique. Learners also often over-apologize, explain too much, or fail to ask for a specific behavior change. This roleplay surfaces whether the learner can stay respectful while still being firm. It also shows whether they can handle a defensive response without backing down.

Yes. You can adapt the situation to standups, project reviews, client calls, or hybrid meetings where people talk over each other on video. You can also change the persona temperament from mildly defensive to more dismissive if the learner needs a harder attempt. The core structure stays the same: identify the interruption, explain the impact, and request a change. That makes it easy to tailor without losing the learning objective.

An ad-hoc approach often leads to vague feedback like "please be mindful" or to no conversation at all. This template gives the learner a repeatable scenario, a clear objective, and scored criteria so they can practice a stronger response before the real meeting. It is useful when the learner wants to be more deliberate about tone and wording. The roleplay also helps them test how to respond if Morgan pushes back or minimizes the concern.

After the attempt, the learner should review whether they named the pattern, stayed calm, and asked for a specific change. If they missed one of those pieces, they should retry with a tighter opening line or a clearer request. The best next step is to turn the practice into a real-world follow-up plan for the next meeting. That makes the template useful beyond the exercise itself.