Small Talk with a Small Attention Span

(2005-12-18) Abby ADD/ADHD Podcast: ADDitude ADDjustment

Those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) get small talk holiday survival tips from adultadhdpodcast.com

Seattle, WA December 17, 2005

"Have you ever entered a room full of strangers and felt nervous? I don't think there's a person on the planet that feels totally comfortable with small talk," said Abby, the host and producer of the ADD/ADHD podcast, ADDitude ADDjustment. "But small talk is really important. It's how we make friends, find romance and get ahead."

Abby explains that small talk is especially difficult for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a neurological condition that impairs a person's ability, to pay attention, plan ahead and control impulses. People with ADHD tend to have a lower level of neurotransmitters in the area behind the forehead of the brain. This area is often associated with the higher-level executive functions of the brain.

As a result, ADHDers tend to interrupt, or say something inappropriate. "After the party I think about the crass things I said and I ask myself 'What was I thinking?', but that's the problem I wasn't thinking. I just blurted out some stupid comment or did some embarrassing thing."

Fortunately, Abby's podcast gives some great tips for surviving small talk, especially during the holiday season. The three-part podcast series can be heard at http://adultadhdpodcast.com . The site also features helpful articles and resources on small talk.

The first podcast episode (which is already published at http://adultadhdpodcast.com) covers the most important thing for small talk success—listening. Even those with small attention spans can learn to focus on their conversation partners.

The second podcast episode, which will be published on Tuesday December 20, suggests good and bad small talk topics. The podcast explains how to get the conversation started. "Also, when you're in that room full of strangers, I'll tell you how to spot the people that are the most approachable." Abby offers these tips:

--Try to start a conversation with someone's who's alone. That person will probably appreciate being approached.
--It's harder to join a conversation where two people are talking, especially if they're engaging in an intimate or animated discussion.
--Try to join groups of three or more.
-- Check the body language before you join a conversation.
--Also, pause and check out the dynamics of the conversation first, so that you can join in with an appropriate comment or question.

The third episode explains how to exit a conversation gracefully and how to practice small talk at home.

For more small talk tips or to subscribe to the podcast, go to http://adultadhdpodcast.com

A podcast is a web blog (blog) that you can hear. It contains episodes of audio content collected together in a show. Anyone can click on the link and the computer's media player will play the sound file (mp3). Or people can listen from anywhere when they download the sound files onto a portable mp3 player like an iPod. Hence the name, podcast.

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Contact Information:
ADHD/ADD Podcast: ADDitude ADDjustment
email: pr@addpodcast.com
phone: 206-339-4057


keywords: ADHD ADD ADHD Podcast Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Social Skills Conversation Skills podcast pod cast small talk tips