• Some conversations might be possible for you to have over email, but not in person
• It’s ok to say “let’s move this conversation to email so I can figure out what I think without melting down”
• It’s also ok to need to pause the conversation from time to time
• Needing the conversation to be over for a while doesn’t mean you’ve conceded the point
• Some things are urgent, but a lot of conversations can be slowed down

Learn to use the word “maybe”:

• It’s ok not to know what you want
• It’s ok not to know whether you’re ok with something
• It’s ok to need time to figure it out
• “Maybe” is an important word, you don’t always have to say yes or no immediately

It might help not to rely so much on your voice:

• A lot of people who can’t get words out for various reasons can still type
• You might find that typing is more reliable than speech for you when a conversation gets emotionally intense
• An iPad can be really useful for this since it is very portable
• You can use a text-to-speech app (Verbally is a free one, Proloquo4Text is a dramatically better but also more expensive one),
• Or you can even type in Notes and show the screen to the person you’re talking to
• Or sometimes typing the thing first can make it possible to say the thing with your voice.

It might help to make less eye contact:

• If you’re intimidated, looking at someone’s face can make matters worse
• If you aren’t looking at their face, it might be easier to think and speak