Headlines, People. Headlines.

My wife and I have this thing we whisper to each other: “Headlines.”

It started after one too many conversations where someone just… kept… talking. I’m not saying it was bad. I’m saying it was everything. Like they opened their personal newspaper and started reading it out loud … every section, every ad, even the classified listings … without checking if anyone else was still breathing.

(Quick history note: newspapers were how we got news before the algorithm on every social media platform decided what we should care about.)

One day, mid-ramble, I blurted out: “Just give me the headline!” Boom. Lightbulb moment. A headline gives the other person space to respond. A sentence leads to a question. A paragraph becomes a conversation.

But, remember the headline is the spark.

Yesterday, I watched three coworkers from across the room. One was on a verbal marathon. The other two looked like they were mentally crawling toward an exit sign.

So, here’s your challenge:

Next time you’re chatting, check in … Are you sharing the story, or holding the room hostage with a TED Talk no one asked for?

Speak in headlines.

Let people ask.

That’s how real conversations happen.

Have you ever been trapped in a human audiobook? Or (be honest) been the one narrating?

Share your story.

I’ll just be over here… catching my breath.