TED Conferences’ Post

Love this phrase, “Be prepared to be amazed.”

These are all good tips and things that neurodivergent people fundamentally struggle with. We are called out and criticized constantly for being in our own heads, talking too much, being too in the weeds, keeping a conversation going well past its expiration. We relate our own experiences, not because we want the conversation to be about us but because we want to demonstrate our ability to relate. We also really struggle with repeating ourselves. That is for a lot of different reasons. Having this called out is helpful as a reminder on why some people struggle with my "communication style" so much. The message of "Wendy, it is not what you say but HOW YOU SAY IT" is an ongoing issue. This helps me to understand why my words become lost to these rules of neurotypical conversational etiquette.

I liked these 10 ways to have a better conversation. Especially I liked # 1, Don't Multitask.  New studies have uncovered that multitasking is a cause of concern. These studies suggest that multitasking causes us to: make more mistakes, retain less information, and change the way our brain works. However, there are many vacancies that require such quality, despite this fact and the words of many authors, keynote speakers, e.g. Todd Dewett, PhD, his course "New Manager Foundation" on LinkedIn Learning

She said stay out of the weeds 💯

Very helpful! What about using non-verbal communication, such as maintaining eye contact and nodding, to show engagement and understanding?

Thank you for this. I cannot stress enough the importance of being present (not only with the other person, with yourself and your emotions as well) and listening to one another. As a nurse, I cannot agree enough admittance to when you don't know something is crucial, but also being able to point them in the direction of or help them obtain an answer to their inquiry is even better. I would just add too, how impactful being at the person's level as well can be. If they're sitting, you sit next to them and with them as this enforces your compassion and care of them and what they are saying.

Great advice!

The point she made on being interested in other people sums up pretty much everything. If you are interested in other people and their stories, you'd be present, you'd listen more and you won't make the conversation about you all the time. It's such a profound way to look at conversations. Thank you so much for these tips. I really learnt a lot ❤️

An introvert's nightmare. Listening takes effort. And some don't care much for it. IMO it's the 'who' that matters. Mark Twain said (some say Cicero) - I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. Rightly so! As an occasional writer, I know that communicating concisely but completely can be hard. I would say, spend energy on topics that align with common values. Avoid other engagements when possible.

Given a propensity to talk and ramble, this is highly relevant to success but probably the most difficult set of instructions ever to follow.