CAZZ asked 12 years ago
Being extremely right brained I’ve had to learn how to communicate in word pictures because my left brained counterpart frequently misunderstood what I was saying and it was creating problems. Now, 20 years later some, but by no means all, of my left brained friends think I relay too much detail. It’s not so much about ‘too much information’ as it is not being brief enough to suit some. It has me a bit confused as to what I might need to do to better communicate without seeming to drag it out. Though it baffles me how anyone can truely ‘get’ the picture without at least most of the detail. Anyway, wondering if you have any advice? Thank you! CAZZ
Insight Psychological Staff answered 12 years ago
Good for you for finding a way to communicate to your counterpart in a way that works. Keep in mind different people communicate differently, so although sharing a lot of detail works between you and your partner, sharing this much detail may not work for others. This is okay. It is possible for people to “get the picture” without all the detail (for example, if you tell me you were talking on the phone, I can understand what you mean without you describing to me the mouth piece, the ear piece, and all the buttons).
Because people communicate differently, I would suggest checking in with people to see how much detail they need. Describe the overall picture first and check for understanding. If they get it, that’s your cue to not go into detail. If they don’t get it, then you can give more detail.
You can also explain yourself to people. Let them know that you are detail-oriented and this is how you process information. Then give them permission to stop you if they feel it is too much detail. This will create empathy in people around you and it will also give them permission to coach you in ways to explain yourself without dragging it out and becoming tedious. Be open to other people’s feedback and notice how less-detailed people are communicating.
If you notice yourself becoming frustrated, angry, or defensive in your interactions with people, I would suggest speaking to a counselor about this.
