Write off quiet ones that hesitate to communicate?

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Shebakoby
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06 Oct 2009, 11:39 pm

I'm thinking that I'm incompatible with the more quiet ones. I'm not exactly quiet myself, and that might clash with a quiet one if they prefer, you know, quiet.

I've been told by a person who is 70% deaf that my voice still goes right through their head, and my parents and siblings say my voice is way too loud.

But besides simple quietness, and the likely incompatibility of someone as 'loud' and curious as myself to someone who is not very talkative, the issue of communication would be a definite barrier. The quiet ones do not talk much, certainly not about things that are important to know. Now I understand any initial hesitation to share personal info, but if it keeps up, it to me is basically a means of saying they don't want to open themselves in any way. Including for a relationship.

I consider communication to be essential, so I'd consider lack of willingness to communicate as either an indication of disinterest, or an outright dealbreaker.



pschristmas
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07 Oct 2009, 2:14 am

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
--George Bernard Shaw

I'm one of those quiet ones. I don't mind communicating; generally, when something's on my mind, I say it. I just see no reason to talk when there's nothing important to say. A lot of the chatter that goes on in daily life really doesn't communicate anything at all. I also tend to think more slowly than others around me and sometimes need time to process what's going on to formulate my responses. If someone talks over me or interrupts, I can get overwhelmed and shut down pretty quickly.



Starr
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07 Oct 2009, 3:41 am

^^Same here. If I lived alone I could happily go all day without talking. I find people's chatter irritating sometimes, they interrupt my interesting thoughts :)



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07 Oct 2009, 4:22 am

I know someone who never stops talking. If she runs out of things to say she just starts over and says everything again. I haven't had much contact with her lately (she doesn't need me to do things for her) but she almost causes me physical pain. I cannot stand it. The only way I can deal is to put Uh Huh on automatic response and then of course she wants to know if I remember her telling me about this that and the other. My son will start moaning in frustration. I'm way more verbal than I used to be, but in general I would rather wait until I really had something to say. A non stop talker is a deal breaker for me.



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07 Oct 2009, 9:36 am

Starr wrote:
^^Same here. If I lived alone I could happily go all day without talking. I find people's chatter irritating sometimes, they interrupt my interesting thoughts :)


Thirded! At work, I have be "on" all the time, which includes feigning interest in co-workers' and gym members' inane banter, which is draining. I just really don't care about the content of their day-to-day lives, and I'd rather not have to be privy to the boring nonsense. I could go days without talking to anyone, and be quite fine with that! My now-ex bf and I were always able to sit in the same room for hours, each doing our own thing, and not feel an overwhelming need to blab simply for the sake of blabbing...


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jessmc
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07 Oct 2009, 12:40 pm

Sometimes I prefer to communicate non verbally. As in just being next to someone I'm interested in and listening to them talk is very enjoyable for me. I get uncomfortable if I know the person I am with feels uncomfortable that I'm not talking, then it's just a tumbling effect of not wanting to talk more. I can tell when someone doesn't mind that I am quiet and I can tell when they do. My suggestion is if you really do not get along with quiet people to just let them be because they aren't going to talk just to please you, it makes them uncomfortable.

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I'm one of those quiet ones. I don't mind communicating; generally, when something's on my mind, I say it. I just see no reason to talk when there's nothing important to say. A lot of the chatter that goes on in daily life really doesn't communicate anything at all. I also tend to think more slowly than others around me and sometimes need time to process what's going on to formulate my responses. If someone talks over me or interrupts, I can get overwhelmed and shut down pretty quickly.


Well said. I am trying to get other people to understand why my son doesn't participate in school and the reason is because it takes him longer to think and by the time he has something to say everyone else has already moved on. This happens to me too. When I was a child I was always told, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Of course having Aspergers I took him way more literally than I should have and barely spoke at all. ugh. If only someone explained that it was just an expression to consider other peoples feelings.



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07 Oct 2009, 12:43 pm

I've heard that there are "quiet" and "loud" aspies. Of course I think this division is false, though there are many of us at either extreme. I, like you (the OP) would probably qualify as a "loud" aspie. I often talk at great length and cannot modulate my voice. Most of my closest friends in the past have either been among the less popular kids or good, patient listeners who can actually tolerate my Polonius-style verbiage. But notably, not all.

I can understand your concerns and I do hesitate when a girl I like the look of turns out not to be much of a talker. That said, I don't think systematically "writing off" people who you think wouldn't be a good match for you is wise if, say, you find you can be friends with these people. If you can't even tolerate the company of quieter people, then you can safely rule them out, but I do not think this is an acceptable outlook. I've regretted writing off women I was attracted to for some odd/superficial reason, all it does is limit your opportunities.



Shebakoby
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07 Oct 2009, 1:21 pm

Hector wrote:
I've heard that there are "quiet" and "loud" aspies. Of course I think this division is false, though there are many of us at either extreme. I, like you (the OP) would probably qualify as a "loud" aspie. I often talk at great length and cannot modulate my voice. Most of my closest friends in the past have either been among the less popular kids or good, patient listeners who can actually tolerate my Polonius-style verbiage. But notably, not all.

I can understand your concerns and I do hesitate when a girl I like the look of turns out not to be much of a talker. That said, I don't think systematically "writing off" people who you think wouldn't be a good match for you is wise if, say, you find you can be friends with these people. If you can't even tolerate the company of quieter people, then you can safely rule them out, but I do not think this is an acceptable outlook. I've regretted writing off women I was attracted to for some odd/superficial reason, all it does is limit your opportunities.


Oh no I don't mean I can't be friends with them. I simply mean 'write off' in terms of what to expect and whether they're compatible.

When I say communication I mean nonverbal as well as verbal. I'm not always a talker, as I am very curious and would rather listen. Someone expressing affection by snuggling up to me is an acceptable substitute for telling me they like me.



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07 Oct 2009, 1:53 pm

My point was that if you feel you can be friends with them at all, don't write them off. It does you no good thinking "oh but I can't be with them because they're too quiet" or anything along those kinds of lines.



Shebakoby
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07 Oct 2009, 2:37 pm

Hector wrote:
My point was that if you feel you can be friends with them at all, don't write them off. It does you no good thinking "oh but I can't be with them because they're too quiet" or anything along those kinds of lines.

Well I'm taking their quietness as an indication of what they want (or don't want).



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07 Oct 2009, 4:41 pm

Quote:
I'm thinking that I'm incompatible with the more quiet ones. I'm not exactly quiet myself, and that might clash with a quiet one if they prefer, you know, quiet.
...
I consider communication to be essential, so I'd consider lack of willingness to communicate as either an indication of disinterest, or an outright dealbreaker.


Yes, it's possible you can be incompatible with someone based upon their communication style. If you need someone to communicate in a specific way (e.g. verbally) and they don't, then I'd consider it a deal breaker.

Take this real world example: Some people are raised in loud and violent environments. To them, yelling and tones expressing aggression are considered 'normal'. You put that into a typical society where you're taught to communicate in a calm and relaxed manner and you have a major disconnect. Even if you're not part of the relationship, seeing this method of 'communication' is very disconcerting.

Yes, you can try to fix/correct this, but it's like trying to tell a guy to be more romantic - he simply may not understand what you're talking about.



Shebakoby
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07 Oct 2009, 6:14 pm

Merle wrote:
Quote:
I'm thinking that I'm incompatible with the more quiet ones. I'm not exactly quiet myself, and that might clash with a quiet one if they prefer, you know, quiet.
...
I consider communication to be essential, so I'd consider lack of willingness to communicate as either an indication of disinterest, or an outright dealbreaker.


Yes, it's possible you can be incompatible with someone based upon their communication style. If you need someone to communicate in a specific way (e.g. verbally) and they don't, then I'd consider it a deal breaker.

Take this real world example: Some people are raised in loud and violent environments. To them, yelling and tones expressing aggression are considered 'normal'. You put that into a typical society where you're taught to communicate in a calm and relaxed manner and you have a major disconnect. Even if you're not part of the relationship, seeing this method of 'communication' is very disconcerting.

Yes, you can try to fix/correct this, but it's like trying to tell a guy to be more romantic - he simply may not understand what you're talking about.


Hahaha I would never try to tell a guy to 'be more romantic' as I don't understand it either. I would also never ask a guy "Does this make my butt look fat?" or other garbage like that.



Merle
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07 Oct 2009, 6:18 pm

Shebakoby wrote:
Hahaha I would never try to tell a guy to 'be more romantic' as I don't understand it either. I would also never ask a guy "Does this make my butt look fat?" or other garbage like that.


LOL! Then you have half the battle already won!



Last edited by Merle on 07 Oct 2009, 8:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Shebakoby
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07 Oct 2009, 6:23 pm

Merle wrote:
Shebakoby wrote:
Hahaha I would never try to tell a guy to 'be more romantic' as I don't understand it either. I would also never ask a guy "Does this make my butt look fat?" or other garbage like that.


LOL! Then you have half the battle already won!


yeah. now if only the guys around here knew that...



Northeastern292
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07 Oct 2009, 10:06 pm

I will NEVER write off the quiet ones. Usually half the time they are the ones who aren't trouble and aren't drunk blondes. The one I met somehow I pissed off, and she's blocked me on Facebook since. FML.



Rack
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08 Oct 2009, 1:52 am

Shebakoby wrote:
Merle wrote:
Shebakoby wrote:
Hahaha I would never try to tell a guy to 'be more romantic' as I don't understand it either. I would also never ask a guy "Does this make my butt look fat?" or other garbage like that.


LOL! Then you have half the battle already won!


yeah. now if only the guys around here knew that...


You should get yourself a T-Shirt :D