Do You Talk to Think or Think to Talk?

• Request more time: Ask for the time you need to think everything through. Explain to people that if you have enough time, you will have a higher-quality response. The words, "Could you give me a minute to think through this?" may create the necessary pause in a group activity for everyone else to improve what they say, too.
• Ask for help: When it's important to make a decision faster than you're comfortable with, ask for input from other people. Identify the less important parts of a decision first and then build towards making a final decision.
• Practice sharing your thoughts: Verbalize your thoughts to a trusted friend -- not so that this person can scrutinize you, but rather so you can get comfortable with sharing your ideas. With some rehearsal, you can use your think-to-talk style to help other people to learn more.
• Make time to analyze: If you're a think-to-talk learner who works with other people in a group, you might find it challenging to keep up with the pace of conversation. Focus your energy, instead, on making a list of the pros and cons of any decisions under consideration so that you can share what you've thought about with the group. By tracking your thoughts, you can help the group make progress and make a wise choice.

So if you seem to talk straight out of your head, or head straight into your thoughts, try these tips and ask for others from people both with your style and the opposite one that probably, up until now, made little sense. If you can find a way to appreciate how other approaches differ, you are likely to develop a deeper understanding of your own style, as well as a capacity to value the styles of those around you, that will help you learn more.