Doug NollI'm called in when human dynamics are getting in the way of strategic leadership execution.

How to handle people who talk over you

14 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this video, seasoned lawyer and trainer Doug Noll draws on more than four decades of experience teaching diverse audiences—from prison inmates to corporate leaders—how to respond when someone talks over you. He explains that most people react poorly, shutting down or escalating the conflict, but there is a neuroscience‑grounded method that lets you stay calm, maintain respect, and regain control of the conversation without raising your voice. Noll contrasts the common “wrong” response that worsens the situation with a “right” response that consistently works, a technique he has successfully taught in the high‑stakes "Prison of Peace" program in maximum‑security prisons. By the end of the video, viewers will learn both the ineffective and effective approaches, equipping them to never lose control of a conversation again.

Chapters

Have you ever had somebody completely talk over you while you were in mid-sentence? Most of the time it probably makes you completely shut down and you don't know how to get back into it without making things worse. Well, I've spent over 40 years as a lawyer and trained everybody from prison inmates to corporate executives on what to do when someone talks over you without raising your voice, without making a stink, without losing respect. There's a wrong way most people use that makes it worse and a right way that makes it a lot better. It's based on neuroscience and it works every single time without failure. That's why we taught it in Prison of Peace in maximum security prisons, because we knew that it would work every single time without failure. And that's a place where lives are at stake. By the end of this video, you'll know both, and you'll never lose control of a conversation again.