(originally published January 4, 2019, updated June 17, 2020) You’re reading this article because you’re curious about listening tips for ADHD adults, right? It’s not unusual for adults with ADHD to have challenges communicating clearly and cleanly. If this is one of your challenges, you may have also developed counterproductive patterns of communication over time — habits— that make these challenges even more pronounced. For example, when you feel misunderstood or you’re not being… Continue reading…
ADHD and Email Part 3 – How to Make Writing Emails Easier
In Part 1 of this series, I focused on the preparation needed to process your email. Then, in Part 2, I guided you through the steps of doing the processing. So, if you have not read those, yet, check them out, and then come back here. In this post, Part 3, we’ll tackle, perhaps, the most difficult aspect of emails. Writing those that need time, energy and thoughtfulness to craft. For a few reasons,… Continue reading…
How ADHD Adults Keep Conversations From Going Horribly Wrong
One of the most difficult communication problems for ADHD adults is being able to navigate difficult conversations. I was reminded of this again as I was rereading Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson et al. In fact, I often talk to clients about this topic. Sometimes our conversation is about how to mitigate the fallout of a conversation gone horribly wrong. Other times, our discussion revolves around conversations they… Continue reading…
Do You Have ADHD and Feel Like You Often Respond Too Slowly?
A common challenge I hear from many Adults with ADHD I work with is,“When I’m in the middle of a conversation or meeting I just can’t seem to put it all together and figure out how to contribute. Often I don’t think of what I really want to say until after it is over… I feel so stupid!” And, by any standard, these are bright people! But they sure don’t feel very bright in… Continue reading…
ADHD and Tips for Managing Holiday Stress
Whether you celebrate an upcoming winter holiday or not you will likely feel their impact as you go about your professional and personal business. And, while the holiday season may look different for everyone, it is likely you will share some of the same challenges with other adults with ADHD, such as: dealing with the transitions brought on by the different work schedules of you and your colleagues. planning for the holidays. making… Continue reading…
ADHD and Communication 101 – Being Intentional With Your Thoughts
Sometimes you have to engage in conversations where preparation is just not possible. But, when faced with needing to talk on the spot, Adults with ADHD can struggle organizing and conveying their ideas in both professional and social settings. If this is true for you, I know it can be really unsettling, to say the least. True, there are times when the other person is just not listening. When you are faced with instances like… Continue reading…
ADHD and Communication 101 – Listening
It might seem listening should be easy. After all it seems like a pretty passive activity, right? But in reality fully processing and understanding what somebody is saying to you isn’t always easy, especially for Adults with ADHD. Sometimes it is… hard… really hard. Sure, if you don’t care much about what the person is saying, you could get away with, “Uh ah, right, yes, sure…” And be on your way. But what about those… Continue reading…
Conversations & ADHD Part 3: Can You Stay In The Game?
The focus of this series, Conversations and ADHD, has been specifically on dealing with conflict, real or perceived. In Part 1 I “challenged” you to consider that you may feel some of your conversations are “battlefields” when, in fact, there is just an exchange of ideas. Then in Part 2 I introduced you to a few strategies you can use to keep you anger from driving your reactions when there truly is potential conflict…. Continue reading…
Conversations & ADHD Part 2: Is Your Anger In The Driver’s Seat?
In Conversations & ADHD Part 1: Do They Feel Like Battlefields?, I wrote about conversations that, while they may feel like they are full of conflict, may in fact just be exchanges of different ideas. But how about when there is genuine conflict between you and others? How do you maximize the chances of constructively engaging with them while: keeping the conversation from becoming hurtful for any of the parties involved? not retreating… Continue reading…
Conversations & ADHD Part 1: Do They Feel Like Battlefields?
Can you think of a recent time when you were uncomfortable initiating a conversation or bringing up a subject because you thought there might be some sort disagreement? How did you feel and what did you do? For most people the answer is, “Well, sure, they are not my favorite kind of conversations, and sometimes I try to avoid them. But they are just part of life…” But for adults with ADHD the answer may… Continue reading…