Reply To: Trouble expressing yourself verbally?

[Fabulous]

I find having pen and paper in hand during conversation helps. Aside from helping the obvious long-term memory of the conversation, it helps with verbal communication  because: #1 – it lets you organize your thoughts; #2 – it places less reliance on working memory because you can jot down the things you want to remember to say; and #3 – it helps you “park” a topic that you don’t want to respond to impulsively if the timing isn’t favourable.

An extra tip: draw a line vertically down the the page. On the left, minute the conversation. On the right, next to the relevant topic, write the questions or comments that you want to mention.

The key of course is to actually employ these strategies while you have pen and paper in hand, and not just doodle or whatever. I attend a lot of meetings in my job and this technique is a huge help to me. I’d be lost without it.

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