Have you ever just been fascinated watching people? It happens to me a lot. There is a person I associated with a few times recently who fascinated me to watch, if not annoy me to interact with.

We interact with other people in verbal and non-verbal ways. When you are in a one-on-one conversation with someone, especially if you really know the person, you will verbalize more and even finish thoughts and words as you converse. In a large group situation, such as a teacher instructing a class, the class will generally interact with the teacher through nodding, facial expressions, or quiet huhs and uhs to themselves. In large groups, unless we are the person addressing the group, the group generally restricts themselves to these non-distracting responses.

This one particular person I spent time observing recently seemed blissfully unaware that they were not the only person in the class. This person finished the professor’s sentences and such as if they were in a one-on-one conversation rather than a member of a group. It interrupted the professor and made it a bit difficult for the rest of the group to understand and hear.

I’m sure that this person had no idea what they were doing or the effect they had on others. They seemed to be completely unaware that their actions were borderline inappropriate for the setting. It made it difficult to be a member of a class with them if I was trying to gain something from the professor, but it did make for a fascinating subject of observation.