You may know Emmanuel the Emu as the internet’s most persistent interrupter. At Knuckle Bump Farms, Taylor Blake (a.k.a. “Farmer Tay”) tries to create educational content about farm life, but Emmanuel has other plans. With every video, the towering, nosy, flightless bird saunters into the frame, and pecks at the phone. Ooh! Shiny! 

“Emmanuel, don’t do it!” she warns, exasperated but still full of love.

“I’m trying to educate people right now, ok?” "I'm trying to tell them thank you...I know you don't know what the internet is, but you're literally kind of famous."

When he finally backs away, she beams: “That brings me great joy in my soul that you listened. I love you. You are a good boy.”

Emmanuel’s antics are so delightfully disruptive that he earned a guest spot on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. And in the social media circus, interrupting is part of the comedy.

In the workplace? It's not so funny.

When Humor Hurts: Interruptions in the Real World

In real-life teams, interrupting doesn’t generate laughs—it creates tension. While Emmanuel is pecking phones and stealing the spotlight for fun, many workplaces have their own version of Emmanuel: the manager who dominates every meeting, the teammate who cuts off others mid-sentence, the brainstorm bully who finishes your thoughts before you do.

On the surface, interruptions may seem benign—even enthusiastic.

Beneath the surface, they signal something more serious:

“My voice matters more than yours.”

“Your ideas aren’t important enough to finish.”

“I don’t need to hear you fully—I already know better.”

“I want to prove my smarts to leadership—even if it means dimming your light.”

“Pay attention to me, not them.”

It’s not just annoying. It’s unsafe.

Interrupting erodes psychological safety, and that damages trust, suppresses innovation, and drives disengagement across your team.

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams. It’s the invisible infrastructure that allows people to collaborate honestly, challenge assumptions, surface risks, and solve complex problems without fear of embarrassment or retaliation.

Here’s the catch: Psychological safety can’t exist if people are regularly silenced—especially through interruption.

When someone is cut off mid-thought, it doesn’t just derail their idea—it sends a ripple across the team. Others learn that speaking up may not be worth it. Over time, silence becomes safer than sharing.

This isn’t speculation—it’s research-backed. Google’s landmark “Project Aristotle” found that the highest-performing teams weren’t those with the most talent or experience, but those with high psychological safety. In fact, psychological safety was the most critical factor in team effectiveness (Duhigg, 2016).

Why It Matters for Psychological Safety

Harvard Business School professor Dr. Amy Edmondson describes psychological safety as:

“A belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.”
— Amy C. Edmondson, The Fearless Organization (2019)

That safety begins with being heard without being hijacked.

When leaders or dominant voices in a room constantly interrupt, it trains others to shrink. Especially those already carrying social penalties for speaking up. Interruptions amplify power imbalances—and minimize diverse perspectives.

Timothy Clark and the Four Stages of Psychological Safety

In The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety (2020), organizational psychologist Dr. Timothy R. Clark outlines how safety unfolds in progressive stages:

1. Inclusion Safety – “I feel like I belong.”
2. Learner Safety – “I can ask questions and make mistakes.”
3. Contributor Safety – “I can offer ideas and input.”
4. Challenger Safety – “I can question the status quo without fear.”

Interrupting disrupts all four.

• It undermines inclusion safety by making people feel invisible.
• It damages learner safety by penalizing imperfect or tentative expressions.
• It sabotages contributor safety by cutting off contributions mid-stream.
• And it destroys challenger safety by silencing those who may be raising dissenting (but important) views.

As Clark writes:

“When psychological safety is low, fear is high, and people self-censor. They shut down and shut up.”
— Timothy R. Clark, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety (2020)

Sound familiar? If you’ve ever worked in a meeting where only a few voices dominate, it’s likely you’ve felt the ripple effects of psychological unsafety—especially if you’ve been on the receiving end of repeated interruptions.

Self-censorship is a costly problem. In many companies, employees don’t speak up—not because they don’t have something to say, but because they fear it won’t be safe or worth it. According to Detert & Burris (2016), even in organizations that claim to value voice, employees often choose silence, especially when the risk of being labeled “difficult” or “ungrateful” is high.

Emmanuel vs. LiMu: When Emus Show Up at Work

Let’s return to our favorite emu for a moment.

Emmanuel’s fame skyrocketed not just because of his persistence, but because of Taylor’s response. She never shamed him. She set a clear boundary with gentle consistency.

“Emmanuel, don’t do it. I’m trying to educate people, ok?”

Contrast that with LiMu the Emu from Liberty Mutual commercials—dressed perfectly for every occasion, always silent, often smug, but forever perched beside his loud-mouthed human partner, Doug. Doug interrupts, overexplains, and rarely lets anyone else talk. LiMu stares, disapproving but wordless.

In a way, they represent two sides of workplace dynamics:

• Emmanuel = The overt interrupter, full of energy but oblivious to impact.
• LiMu = The schnazzy dresser, silent observer, watching interruptions happen but doing nothing to stop them.
• Doug = The classic interrupter in human form—confident, self-centered, and unaware he just may be the problem.

In meetings, we all play one of these roles at some point. Good teams cultivate more Taylors—leaders who calmly, clearly set boundaries and redirect the conversation toward inclusion and respect.

Interruptions Are a Cultural Signal

Workplaces often assume interruptions are a personal quirk—someone just talks a lot or “thinks out loud.” They’re also a reflection of culture. In fast-paced, fear-based, or ego-driven organizations, interruption is normalized because:

• Speed is valued over depth
• Power is associated with dominance
• Listening is considered optional

This is where leaders (or facilitators) need to intervene.

This culture of urgency and hierarchy is one of the paradoxes many modern companies face. According to Deloitte’s 2020 Human Capital Trends report, organizations are being asked to become both more human and more high-performing at the same time. Navigating this paradox means prioritizing values like respect, empathy, and inclusion—none of which can exist in a meeting where interrupting is the norm (Deloitte, 2020).

Teams don’t become inclusive by accident. They become inclusive through intentional norms—ones that recognize interruption as not just bad behavior, but a barrier to psychological safety.

Humans are biologically wired to connect through being heard. When we feel listened to, our brains release chemicals that promote trust and psychological safety, which are foundational for high-performing teams. Interruptions break this bond, activating threat responses and silencing contribution, making deep listening a non-negotiable for inclusive and effective team cultures. Read more about this in the InKNOWnative Insights: The Human Need to Be Heard: How Deep Listening Builds Belonging, Trust, and Psychological Safety.

What Leaders Can Learn from Knuckle Bump Farms

Taylor Blake didn’t punish Emmanuel. She anticipated his behavior. She set expectations. She coached him in real time.

You can do the same.

Here’s how to address interruptions in your workplace—without shaming, silencing, or sparking defensiveness:

1. Normalize Listening as a Leadership Skill

Create a team norm where active listening is expected and celebrated. Reinforce the idea that letting others finish is a sign of respect—not weakness.

Try this: "Let’s pause and hear the rest of their thought before we respond."

2. Set Clear Meeting Boundaries

Include conversation guidelines in your meeting culture. Consider using timers, turn-taking rounds, or designated facilitators to balance airtime.

Try this: "Let’s make sure everyone gets to finish before we move to the next idea."

3. Call It In, Not Out

Use humor or neutral language to address interruptions without escalating shame.

Try this: "Looks like we’ve got an Emmanuel moment—let’s give space to finish that thought.” “Emmanuel, Don’t Do It.” Or just, “Emmanuel.” If they continue, “Emmanuel Todd Lopez!” "Are there any LiMus that would like to share?"

4. Reward the Listener, Not Just the Talker

Give recognition to those who hold space for others, ask thoughtful follow-ups, or help elevate quiet voices in the room.

Try this: "Thanks for creating room for that insight—we might’ve missed it otherwise.”

Or, as Taylor said to her feathered co-star:

“That brings me great joy in my soul that you listened.”

Conclusion: Don’t Be an Emmanuel (Or Doug)

Interrupting may sell insurance in a Liberty Mutual ad, but it won’t build trust in your workplace. Whether you’re a Doug, a LiMu, or an Emmanuel—there’s always an opportunity to course-correct.

Want to bring more joy (and safety) into your team?

Start by letting people finish. It’ll bring great joy to the soul of your team that you listened.

And next time you hear yourself interrupting mid-meeting?

Pause.

Breathe.

Smile.

Then whisper, to yourself:

“Emmanuel, don’t do it.”

How can we help psychological safety go viral, bringing great joy to the soul?

If you want to bring psychological safety into your organization but aren't sure where to begin, start here by reading this InKNOWnative Insights: How to Use InKNOWnative’s Step-by-Step Training to Build Sustainable Psychological Safety. 

Citations

Clark, T. R. (2020). The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.
Duhigg, C. (2016). “What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team.” The New York Times Magazine.
Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2016). “Can Your Employees Really Speak Freely?” Harvard Business Review.
Deloitte. (2020). The social enterprise at work: Paradox as a path forward.

References

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The spark of innovation & knowledge is native to each of us. Empowering organizations to build fearless, high-performing, learning cultures through psychological safety, inclusion, and innovation.

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