Virtual meetings can quickly become frustrating.

The following story is about a man who kept trying to speak during a Zoom meeting with colleagues.

However, even after multiple attempts, he was constantly interrupted and never found the right moment to share his thoughts.

By the time he finally got a chance, everything he wanted to say had already been covered.

Sounds familiar? Let’s take a closer look!

Me in every meeting: exists → tries to speak → gets erased from time and space → “you were quiet today” → sends resume

You know that special circle of hell.

You wait for a 0.3-second gap in a six-person Zoom call. You finally open your mouth.

At the exact same nanosecond, Dave from Accounting clears his throat.

So you do the honorable thing. You stop. You gesture.

You mouth, “Sorry, go ahead.” Gentleman’s code.

This man waits for another chance to speak.

Dave rambles. You wait again.

Next gap. You inhale. “So I just wanted to add—”

Nope. Susan’s cat walks on her keyboard.

She apologizes for 11 seconds. You retreat again.

But every time he tries to speak, someone will interrupt.

This repeats 47 times.

You become a human doorstop. A pause ninja.

A polite doormat with a mute button.

Finally, there is a silence so loud your ears ring.

Everyone looks at you like, “Oh right, you exist.”

And you say, “I was just going to mention…”

Finally, when he speaks, Dave will say that they had already covered it.

And someone, always Dave, speaks.

“Oh yeah, we literally just covered that, but thanks.”

Yes. I know. Because you talked over me for half an hour.

So now, I just sit here. Full of unspoken ideas. Powerless.

Watching my will to live drain into a Teams chat.

At the end, Karen will ask if everything’s okay with him, since he was silent throughout the meeting.

Someone posts a thumbs up. The kicker.

When the meeting ends, someone says something.

“Hey, you were quiet today. Everything okay?”

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No, Karen. No, it is not.

This is honestly one of the most painfully accurate descriptions of online meetings.

Some people dominate conversations without even realizing how much space they take up.

After a while, staying quiet feels easier than fighting for half a sentence.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a woman who was in love with her dream house – and then spring came and her neighbor’s trees caused her to question the purchase.

Have you ever experienced this? Let’s check out other people’s comments.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Just talk over them, says this one.

Apparently, you can “raise your hand” in MS Teams.

Lol. This is true.

Finally, short and simple.

In meetings, there is often an imbalance between people who talk too much and those who stay silent.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a Glassdoor review that had an unexpected impact on hiring.