Tell me if any of you relate to my ramble:
I thought I was good at socializing. I can be quiet charming, actually. And I actually really love the linguistics of social interaction, both verbal and nonverbal, even though it trips me up a lot.
I’m stuck on the concept of using an apology as an opening. Like, “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to reply sooner” in an email. To me it’s not actually an apology, no one’s done anything wrong, and the other person isn’t even inconvenienced in this case. It’s just a polite greeting, a buffer before the actual content. But it’s awkward when they reassure me I don’t need to apologize, which I already know. Even though I’m aware that’s just a “correct” way to reply to an apology in as casual a manner as I gave it. It’s just like a mutual acknowledgement that unexpected time has passed.
So I think, look how much I know about weird unspoken social rules! I can’t actually be autistic, right?!
As if laying in bed deliberating the off-label use of apologies in conversational transition and filler, while mentally rehearsing an email I hope to write tomorrow and puzzling over the least important but most concerning part (the greeting) isn’t autistic as hell.
No, no, the frequent sensory overload and nonverbal shutdowns have no weight here.
Anyway, thanks for reading and happy stimming!
Edit: I’m okay on the wording/apologizing thing and don’t need advice (though I appreciate the effort all the same)! I wrote this post oddly but the point was imposter syndrome about autism and the apology thing was just an example.
The frequent over apologizing was a thing I had issues with as well. I focused on stopping because I realized it can be negative for those you communicate with.
Apologies are hard to reply too. So if your apologizing all the time your are putting a burden on them to acknowledge it. This can strain communication over time.
Also, like other things, overuse of apologies weakens them. If your a little more picky about when to apologize it will make them more genuine. This is also why I avoid yelling and cursing. So when I do those things, the expression has some potency.
Lasty it’s unprofessional in written communications. This is probably a more controversial opinion. But for the reasons above and because it can make your communication less concise. In the professional environment being clear and concise is more important then being polite. (Though you still need to be polite).
The added bonus is that doing this will make you sound more confident.
This is very important. While unintentional, asking for sympathy at the start of and during every interaction is leaving less room for polite criticism, and less room for people to express annoyance without being an asshole.
I completely agree. This is why I was agonizing over the email! The whole “It seems polite to say it” vs. “I must avoid needless apologies.”
For the times I feel tempted to over-apologize out of insecurity or shame, my favorite apology replacement strategy is saying thanks instead.
“Thanks for waiting” instead of “Sorry that took so long.”
It’s been recommended on here a few times but I’m finding that Goblin tools the judge tool is pretty good. If thats not cutting it I just have chat gpt do the whole letter. I’d generate one from scratch or have it make my existing letter “more readible” and ask it to be “less wordy”.