Crosstalk includes giving advice that should be done in a more personal setting. Sharing should be from personal experience only. For example, in a discussion about the importance of meeting attendance a person made the comment that he really enjoyed AA better than NA. The group leader then re-entered the discussion, after having his turn, and gave advice to this young man about the benefits of AA vs. NA for the remainder of the time. This advice really had nothing to do with the other 12 people in the group. In fact, the meeting was brought to an end and 4 people did not get a chance to share. The sharing should have been only about why meetings help each person personally, not a comparison to other 12 step programs. It is through the sharing that each should be listening, not advising. This crosstalk really wasted the time of the other 10 people involved. The response should have been, “Can we meet after the meeting and talk?”
Another form of crosstalk includes saying things like, “I really like what **** said, we should all do that.” Again, discussions are sharing from personal experience, not advising. It’s about being a listener and a learner. You can take what you want and leave the rest. It is never about an opinion.
Kelly R
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