Why You Should Never Hang Up On Someone
There are certain things in life that we all know not to do, like sticking a fork into an electrical outlet or leaving the house without pants on. But what about hanging up on someone mid-conversation?
People can be annoying, infuriating, frustrating – in other words, human. It’s completely natural to want to distance yourself, at least temporarily, from someone who’s getting under your skin.
If someone’s acting up in person, you’d walk away from them. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, we’re encouraged to do it, in order to avoid confrontation.
However, when it comes to hanging up on someone over the phone or a video call, things get a bit more complicated. But why is that? Well, that’s what we’re here to explore.
8 reasons why you shouldn’t hang up on someone
1. It’s rude
Let’s start with the obvious one, shall we? Hanging up on someone mid-conversation is just plain impolite. Sure, you might feel justified in doing so at times (and hey, maybe you are), but that doesn’t change the fact that it comes across as disrespectful and dismissive.
2. You won’t get your point across
If there was a particular issue or topic being discussed when you hung up on them, chances are this will have to be addressed again later if communication needs to continue.
By hanging up on them, you’re preventing any further dialogue from occurring indefinitely.
3. It’s immature
When it comes to resolving conflicts, maturity is key. And nothing screams immaturity quite like hanging up on someone instead of working through the issue at hand. While it might feel satisfying in the moment, ultimately you’re just prolonging any tension or negative feelings that may arise.
4. It’s unprofessional
Customers and clients have a way of pushing our buttons, especially if we work in customer service or a client-facing role. However, regardless of how annoying they may be at times, it’s still important to maintain professionalism on the job.
Hanging up on someone can not only harm your reputation and that of your company but could cost you valuable business too.
5. You could damage the relationship
If you’ve ever been hung up on, you’ll know that it doesn’t feel very good. I’d even go as far as saying it’s something that stays with you forever, depending on who’s doing it.
Hanging up on someone you care about – be it a friend, spouse, or family member – can cause irreparable damage in the relationship. There’s just something about the act of ending a conversation so abruptly that can make others feel disregarded or unimportant.
6. It creates uncertainty
Did you hang up? Were you cut off accidentally? Did you get hit by a car and end up in hospital? Okay, the last one might be a bit extreme. However, by hanging up on someone, oftentimes you leave them with no closure or explanation as to why the conversation ended so abruptly.
7. It shows a lack of communication skills
If your only solution to a difficult conversation is to hang up, it suggests that you don’t have the necessary communication skills needed for healthy relationships.
Becoming an effective communicator takes work and practice. However, hanging up on someone doesn’t allow us the opportunity to improve our interpersonal communication techniques.
Sometimes, you need to have that conversation, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it may be.
8. You might never get the chance to speak again
This one is perhaps the most extreme outcome, but it’s still worth considering. You know that thing we call life? Well, it’s unpredictable. You never know when a conversation with someone could be your last.
You might think that you’ll be able to patch things up the following day or week, after you’ve both had a chance to simmer down. But what if you never get that chance?
What if something happened to you or the person you hung up on before that conversation could be resolved? It’s a sobering thought and one to keep in mind the next time you’re tempted to hang up.
Wrapping things up
We’re all just humans trying to navigate this confusing, messy thing called life. Communication is one of the most important tools we have at our disposal when it comes to forging meaningful human connections – whether that’s with friends, family members or complete strangers.
Choosing not to hang up on someone mid-conversation doesn’t just show respect for those around us; it also shows a willingness to work through difficult situations in order to achieve resolution over blindly giving into frustration.
If someone is pushing your buttons, consider taking a deep breath and trying to find common ground instead of just hanging up on them. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything they’re saying – far from it! It simply means showing that little bit more empathy in challenging times.