How do you deal with these folk?
In the movie War Games was a brief scene where two nerds who work together have a sort of confrontation. One tells the other one, "Remember that conversation we had where you asked me to let you know when you were being annoying? Well you are being annoying now".
I thought that was brilliant because so little is presented in media regarding how to deal in a real way with personality problems. Satan has been advancing his plan for global collectivization for centuries. Part of this process is the social homogenization of people. While in the not too distant past there were quite a number of "characters", today the odd person is usually shunned.
There are a variety of reasons for people to have poor social skills. A common one is with bright people who view with terror the adolescent social milieu and withdraw such that they have [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] social development. There are others often less bright for whom the fear of social consequence has had no inhibiting effect and walk through life without regard for their effect on others.
If a one time encounter, forbearance is usually indicated. A repetitious encounter usually requires a private conversation. In the conversation the person is asked if they are aware that they have (whatever the characteristic is). They will generally be unaware, indifferent, or in disagreement.
The person who was unaware, can be most easily helped with a feedback system that can be used even with humor to help ease any social discomfort such as saying that the next time this happens I will give you a subtle signal such as flapping one arm like a chicken.
For the person who is indifferent or in disagreement, you can mention that as an experiment the next time they have a negative effect on people, you can stop the conversation and ask the person if they feel they have been insulted or inhibited from discussion.
Most people will work with you if they understand that they are causing a problem. This is usually best presented with the assumption that the person is unaware of the effect he is producing. Even if the person feels he has done nothing "wrong", he can be appealed to to restrain his behavior for the sake of someone else as an act of Christian charity.
If you as a leader have difficulty in broaching the subject with someone, you can, in private, ask their observations of the group and ask if they have noticed any time when enthusiastic discussion seems to wane.
It can be a good practice to ignore the obvious effect (seeming like a know it all) and inquire about underlying possibilities. This can avoid some reflexive defensive reactions you might encounter. For example, you may ask someone if they feel that others in the group have given them reason to believe that their Christian knowledge is limited. You can then say that sometimes a person may feel the need to verbally "establish their credentials" so that their comments will be received with more weight.
