The Conversational Topper

Have you ever been guilty of being a “conversational topper”?  The topper is someone who, when another confides a challenge or shares an exciting event, immediately connects that event to their own life experience.

So for instance, let’s say you are chatting with Rebecca, who is struggling to get along with some members of her family. A topper’s first reaction is to think, “I too have had problems with my family,” I should tell them about this experience. If I do, maybe they will see me as a compassionate,…