A one sided conversation.

Some people do forget that conversation should be like a game of tennis - me to you, you to me etc. Otherwise it’s just a monologue.

That said, some people can just talk a glass eye to sleep.

Or perhaps you come across as a sympathetic listener- goodness knows they can be few and fae between. I’d be flattered. Of course she has probably bored the bloomers off everybody else before you..
Do you wear a hearing aid? You could take the batteries out!

I have two friends who tend to do this. One day I realised they take a breath in the middle of a sentence so that they can run on continuously. The constant barrage soon does my head in so I resort to jumping up to go to the loo, faking a coughing fit or dropping my handbag - anything to create a diversion and allow me to get in to change the subject or remove myself entirely!

some people can just talk a glass eye to sleep

I love that expression, Never heard it before.

I know any number of people like in the op.

People like that talk at you, rather than have a conversation.

A natural reaction is to avoid them, but that doesn't solve the problem! I read somewhere that a way to stop them is to interrupt them politely but use their name as in "Rita, I think ... " and keep doing that.

It reminded me of a woman that has popped up in various singing groups in our area, she doesn't sing, she bellows, complete with avcompanying hand gestures, and no one wants to sit next to her. I'm amazed she doesn't get the message. She will often say something like "I trained in theatre so I project my voice". She's a bit Florence Foster Jenkins ...

I have a dear friend like that who talks over you. When we get together as a quartet, we let it go. I think she is becoming increasingly deaf and doesn't always hear others are still talking

I have met people who do the opposite. They are conversation blockers and resist any efforts to engage them in small talk.

A recent conversation I had went something like this:-

Me - Have you been a member for long?

Them - No.

Me - When did you join?

Them - A while back.

Me - Do you come to all the meetings.

Them - No.

By now I am beginning to feel like I am interrogating them so I say something like "Lovely to talk to you" and move away.

Maybe she is lonely ...

FriedGreenTomatoes2

That said, some people can just talk a glass eye to sleep.

Priceless

One woman from a social group I went to was the wife of someone who had been involved in 'the arts' in London. This was the first thing she told people about herself. He had retired about 30 years ago but we knew her script by heart. We had one particular event where she cornered an elderly gent who had just lost his wife and off she went. You could see that he was pained to listen to her and kept trying to escape but she carried on totally unaware of his facial expressions and attempts to move away.

Luckygirl3

Maybe she is lonely ...

But, why does being lonely change anything? I've been lonely in my life but still had awareness when trying to make conversation, or friends!

I'm afraid my sister is like this. She's rather deaf and also quite lonely. As she lives abroad I don't get to see her that often but I phone her regularly and always have a magazine at hand when I do so I've got something to occupy me whilst she witters on about nothing in particular. Obviously you can't do that face to face though!

Some people with ADHD tend to talk non-stop. I say that as I have ADHD and I have learned to be conscious of this and control it, not always successfully.

Retread

Luckygirl3

Maybe she is lonely ...

But, why does being lonely change anything? I've been lonely in my life but still had awareness when trying to make conversation, or friends!

I wonder whether some people realise, but dont care anyway.

The above responses made me laugh... hilarious! I know exactly what you mean. I'm not sure I'd be keen to go to a social club now 🤣

Its a minefield Plevey. There are clique plus total bores who talk non stop about illnesses etc. The cadgers, forget the purses or find out if you've a car to take them out as they don't drive anymore and think someone else's petrol is totally free. .I only join a group if it is something I am interested in such as Art, History or something else. If a friendship were to develop thats a bonus.

I have one friend like this. She can start her story by saying she got up for breakfast......etc for about 5 minutes before actually getting to the point. It's very hard to listen to.
She also regales us with long sagas about people we don't know.

Oh my word! That is so familiar.

Sorry pressed send too soon. I meant to add I know someone who does exactly that.

Oh dear. I'm thinking of joining a walking group but you couldn't just walk off if you felt captured by someone. Luckily there's an arts month where I live, different venues in the county, so I could say ooh I just want to look at the paintings in the other room....cheerio!

Oh, your comment about people you don't know rings bells, kircubbin! I have a close family member (in-law) who can talk for hours about her friends, acquaintances, neighbours in great detail. I haven't a clue who she's talking about and just nod and mmmm, all the while trying to get away from her just for a break!

Having said that, she does live alone and doesn't see her own family very often so I feel a bit sorry for her...probably the reason she always seems to latch on to me at family events.

I am suffering from that just now, with a lovely friend. People you don't know, places she's been, things she's done etc etc.

We're on holiday, and everywhere go is punctuated with 'that's where I took a photo of X and Y when we were here', or 'A and B had a lovely meal in the Red Bull - it was fifty years ago, but they had the lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and they said it was lovely'. 😵‍💫