I'm having trouble with details and paying attention

​Question:
I'm having a really hard time with carrying on conversations. I forget things, I miss details, I have to ask people to repeat things, and it is really embarrassing. I read your page on cognition and memory, but do you have any more tips?

Answer:

Did you catch that?
Sometimes you think you heard correctly, sometimes you know you didn’t catch the detail.
 
Sometimes you didn’t even know there was a conversation happening, until later, when someone says “I told you that”.
 
You are embarrassed to say “Can you say that again?”
 
Here are some thoughts (tips) to help smooth conversations out.
 
Always make sure you are looking at the person you are talking to. 
Make eye contact. 
Tell the person you are talking with to turn and look at you. 
It is easier to understand a talking face than the back of someone’s head.
 
Then… try not to say “Can you say that again?”  Think…repeat back what you thought you heard, and let a conversation begin until you are sure you know what you need to know.
 
Question…It shows the person you are talking to that you are engaged.   
Person 1: “I went to the beach last weekend.”
Person 2:  “Oh, you went to the beach last weekend?  What did you do?”
 
Repeat as much as you heard…it shows the person you are talking to that you are listening.
Person 1: “I am going to the pet store to buy cat food, fish food, and a dog toy.”
Person 2:  “You going to the hardware store and you are buying cat food, a dog toy… and what else?
 
Repeat to verify…it shows the person you are talking to that is important to you that you get the details correct.
Person 1: “It is going to be windy tonight, I think we should shut the windows and bring the grill to the garage.
Person 2: “I heard you say because it is going to be windy we should shut the windows and you are going to take the grill to the garage.”
 
Lori Ann Kostich M.S. CCC-SLP, MSCS
Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist
Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital
Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis

#memory #multiplesclerosis #cognition