Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

Asking first helps with anxiety.

30 May 2024 · 1 min

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In this short talk, the speaker explores why people often avoid asking questions and links that avoidance to social anxiety and uncertainty. The speaker argues that asking directly eliminates the fear of not knowing the other person's desires, thereby reducing anxiety. They note that individuals with social anxiety would benefit from asking because it provides clear information without guesswork. The speaker also highlights that people on the autism spectrum tend to prefer direct questions, as they find it difficult to interpret body language and unspoken social norms; a straightforward question simplifies social interaction for them.

Chapters

Give me reasons you think people don't ask why they instead just go for it. What are reasons? Did you say social anxiety? All right. So if I have social anxiety, which means I get anxious around interaction with another person, I'm going for it though still. So what allows me to still go for it with anxiety of social interaction? Okay. So what you're saying is the only way I wouldn't have anxiety is if I knew what they wanted. That would remove the anxiety because now I'm not fearful of what's happening. Would you agree with that? Yeah. So if I have social anxiety, what would I always do? I would always ask. Because it's the one way I know what this person wants without guessing. By the way, when people are on the spectrum and they're in my audience, they love asking. Because often people on the spectrum can struggle to read body language and they can struggle to read social standards that others might have. And so to have a blank, direct question really makes their lives much easier.