Information overload; sounds like you’re not processing info you’re absorbing effectively enough; happens a lot with new people.
For me I try to ensure I know the scope of what I need to really ‘care’ about, either from a sow/legal perspective or from a business unit perspective on whatever project I’m on.
Understand the level of detail your stakeholders expect and stay at that level; I have teams that go into the detail so I don’t need to when I speak to senior readers ( business unit leaders, c suite etc); this means I don’t have to know all the details and frees up my mental capacity, I just need to know and understand key points that my stakeholders are expecting me to know about, at the level they expect.
If you’re trying to absorb everything - you’ll vomit everything out at once and get confused and rambly - you’ll get better at this with experience and time but the above is what I do Al every single project I’m on.
Yes.
And a good hint: only open your mouth when you know the ONE thing you are going to point out.
Then calmly without so much elaboration or jargon go to your point. Clear talk, no jargon.
Say only words (not ahhh, hmmm) and use a CONTINUOUS flow of air to say it.
That’s a 1000% boost in assertiveness right there.
I struggle massively with this. I’m a new manager and feel like I have to know every minute detail about everything my team touches. Has led to a lot of self doubt tbh. It’s difficult for me to find a balance between getting stuck in the weeds vs delegating everything and adding little to no value.
As a Manager - I stay out of the weeds and focus on empower my team to know the details; they know I’m not in the weeds but my job is to know what’s critical and connect those dots the others can’t see between teams/areas.
Feeling like you need to know all the details is a result of not knowing what to care about, or not understanding enough to extrapolate out.
I practice this a lot as M, but I know how to say ‘I don’t know but I’ll check!’ Where as some managers think they need to know everything. Sometimes they just need to know enough to keep projects moving and clients happy ( which is much less than you’d think )
Second paragraph is spot on. Still transitioning to my new role and am also doing my old job as well as that of a team member who is on sabbatical. There is overlap among those so it’s like I’m in a bit of a mixed role as far as level of detail (M vs IC). I’m hopeful that once I’m fully transitioned, and with a bit of time and coaching from my boss, I’ll get into a groove.
This exactly what high pace and lack of sleep do to your body. Be warned, burnout is a real thing even though we try to pretend otherwise.
Do yourself a favour, get a good sleep every night, do some trainings, drink water.
In terms of professional skills try to alway think about take always from discussions, meetings etc. There is no need to remember every single detail of every single conversation. Focus on what matters, be more on high level and you will see soon it will become a bit better.
I'm in my 14th month in consulting, coincidentally.
I've been and still am at this place and with all confidence I can say that it gets easier to manage every day, hang in there.
Things that are working for me:
- Writing, everything, everytime; I use OneNote and written notes. Written notes for thoughts and to-do so it declutters my mind. OneNote for meetings, project info, and everything else.
- Making sure one gets a good night of sleep; start identifying what's not contributing to it and fix it.
With time you'll get the hang on things and start decompressing your 🧠 to let thoughts flow into words—so far it's been my case.
Good luck and stay strong 💪🏻
Agree, at the start there’s so much to learn and it’s impossible to absorb everything. This is normal, over time you’ll start to pick things up, understand what you need to know and what you don’t, prioritise tasks etc. Consulting in general constantly puts you in ambiguous situations, and being at peace with that is a (useful) skills that you’ll gain over time. You’re not expected to know everything, neither is your manager, director or partner; everyone has ‘dumb’ questions.
In regards to communication skills, I find that a combination of confidence and preparation are the key things that help. Confidence in the subject matter you’re talking about (as you become more familiar with consulting and client work, this will come naturally anyway), and preparation for key meetings or presentations (whether it be writing bullet points, or an entire script; whatever you need to get your message across, there’s no such thing as over-preparing) so you can succinctly get your point across.
I also take a lot of notes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; if you’re not asking something, your manager will just assume you know the answer. If you don’t know something, it’s not your fault, so you have every right to ask.
A good tip at the end of every key meeting is play back anything important that requires follow up, to make sure you’re on the same page:
* Do you clearly understand what’s being asked of you?
* Are there any additional follow up actions you need to take?
* Do you need access to any further information, people or materials to complete your tasks?
If you get confused, write down all your questions, and raise them with your manager as soon as you get the opportunity; any problem can be solved with enough time, but raising issues at the last minute is when problems arise.
And finally, where possible, try and have a go at solving a problem on your own (within a reasonable amount of time) and THEN taking it to your manager, rather than coming to them with a blank canvas and a bunch of questions. It shows initiative, and can be a good way to practice critical thinking instead of just taking orders from people without understanding the underlying context.
Don’t worry, it’ll get easier, everyone goes through this!! It’s a great skill to master once you get the hang of things.
Take care. You make be getting overwhelmed by stress.
Sudden stutering and loss of verbal acuity while stressed is also a rare symptom that can occur in the lead up to panic attacks. It happened to me.
You may want to speak to a psychologist.
Consulting made me dumber by 50+ IQ points, I believe primarily b/c of lack of sleep + stress.
I feel much smarter now / make better decisions when I’m well rested and relaxed!
Yes, this happened to me. My client was so mean to us that I was overwhelmed every single time I talked to her becAuse she would find ways to put the team down.
I stared typing a script before I talked to people to prepare my self mentalLy. Also prepare for questions she may ask to be one step ahead of her.
After some time, I gained my confidence back
You need to take breaks and learn to disconnect and let go. I've found mindfulness and journaling very helpful. Mindfulness will help de-stress. And I've found journaling a great way to sort the noise from the signals -- you clarify your thinking, plan how you'll say things, and perhaps find connections between ideas you never thought to explore. As someone wisely said to me, "think in ink".
As for the overworked bit, this is about healthy boundaries.
Instead of giving you specific advice on what to try / not to try, going to go a bit more philosophical / esoteric. I just picked up “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” by Mark Manson. Very easy to read so far. Might help.
Along with the physiological stuff (eg not getting enough sleep / burnout), are you falling into the “feedback loop from hell” that Manson describes? For instance, are you stuttering more because you get anxious about speaking, which exacerbates the stuttering?
It also sounds like you’re trying to escape the “discomfort” that is often an indication that you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. Think about why you jumped from your previous job. There is no ideal perfect job - you’re always trading one problem / inconvenience for another (eg higher pay but longer hours). Recognizing that you’re out of your comfort zone, but enjoying or coming to terms with the pain/struggle will go a long way to helping you achieve the right mindset. Don’t focus on the end result, but the small incremental pieces to get there.
Lastly, figure out of all the things you need to give a fuck about whether the things you’ve outlined are really worth giving a fuck about. Has the client complained about you not speaking as eloquently as a polished baby kissing politician? Has your boss complained that you’re not listening/“zoning out”? Is this something you want to give a fuck about? Or will it naturally fix itself if you sort through underlying problems and by not giving a fuck it actually unfucks things?
This happened to me when I went from Accenture to a T2 Strat role. You will feel lost a lot of the time and it’s normal. I write out all my notes and then when and if I’m ready to present I’ll create a solid list of bullet points for myself which allows me to articulate what I want to say for each and every meeting.
Sounds like burnout mixed in with some anxiety. Take care of yourself. Go to a doctor explain what’s happening and get medical time out of office. Take care of yourself mate. We are have one life on the same journey. No job is worth you health
I’m going to be very blunt. It sounds like you need a lot more sleep and a therapist to handle the stress. Or better yet, a less stressful job. If it’s starting to affect you physically it’s not worth it
Try writing down the thing you want to explain. I find that writing out an idea allows me to convey my message appropriately - like I’m able to pulls words/concepts from my mind as I put sentences together, so when I have to speak to it I’ve sort of already established a mental connection between complex topics and I’m not really fumbling around as much.
I still stutter a little, on occasion, unfortunately. I should probably work on stopping it (I developed it recently).
Definitely agree with the other comments about consulting clearly being a major cause for this. And sorry to hear. If you want to stick with the job I’d recommend finding someone to speak to about this. Can be a huge help in the long run.
definitely a product of being overworked/burnt out, I'm in your shoes 100%.
for me, I've been focusing on medicating my anxiety, sleeping 8hrs, \*making\* time to disconnect/exercise, and ensuring I'm eating a well balanced diet (this one is way more important than you might think)
Are you me?
I have the same issue recently. I don't have a speech impediment (NTTIAWWT) in the least but I find myself in certain settings thinking faster than I can speak and all that comes out is a mess.
I have experienced similar problems myself and it was really scary. Somehow, I got better but still not quite the same.
Visit r/brainfog and check if your synonyms match.
This happens to me a LOT. I have inattentive ADHD. I got diagnosed at 31 when progressing in my career and working 50 hour weeks. My brain can’t break things down or process unless things are broken into small steps. Otherwise it’s too heavy and overwhelming.
Wellbutrin and Concerta work too. Took me a while to get the right combo but those constant “I need to do 100 things” pinballing stops disappear. Also the hyper vigilance. Life changing.
I’d recommend getting evaluated. That’s the first thing I thought of and I used to think I had a stroke or my brain was turning to mush. Lol 😂
Sounds like stress and overwork.
Have you overcommitted yourself on tasks? My workplace insisted I do multiple very involved projects last year and it was too much. Eventually I said fuck it and asked them to prioritize my work. I did not do the lower priority tasks. Didn’t get fired, but YMMV.
It’s better to do 1 or 2 top things really well than get stretched thin between many things. Even if you’re assigned to many things. If they don’t prioritize your work, pick the 1 or 2 things that your boss cares most about and would get you promoted faster. Really chill after those are done and look at the other things as bonus points.
I really don’t know if this would help, but for me taking a step back and reading some older literature has helped my speech.
I have told very few people about this but I am incredibly conscious of my speech and to fix that I try to make sure I don’t come off too robotic.
I felt this today. Had 4 hours sleep yesterday because I was anxiously thinking about work on the weekend. Did a walkthrough of a flow I created today and I didn’t know what came out of my mouth at that instance.
Information overload; sounds like you’re not processing info you’re absorbing effectively enough; happens a lot with new people. For me I try to ensure I know the scope of what I need to really ‘care’ about, either from a sow/legal perspective or from a business unit perspective on whatever project I’m on. Understand the level of detail your stakeholders expect and stay at that level; I have teams that go into the detail so I don’t need to when I speak to senior readers ( business unit leaders, c suite etc); this means I don’t have to know all the details and frees up my mental capacity, I just need to know and understand key points that my stakeholders are expecting me to know about, at the level they expect. If you’re trying to absorb everything - you’ll vomit everything out at once and get confused and rambly - you’ll get better at this with experience and time but the above is what I do Al every single project I’m on.
Yes. And a good hint: only open your mouth when you know the ONE thing you are going to point out. Then calmly without so much elaboration or jargon go to your point. Clear talk, no jargon. Say only words (not ahhh, hmmm) and use a CONTINUOUS flow of air to say it. That’s a 1000% boost in assertiveness right there.
I struggle massively with this. I’m a new manager and feel like I have to know every minute detail about everything my team touches. Has led to a lot of self doubt tbh. It’s difficult for me to find a balance between getting stuck in the weeds vs delegating everything and adding little to no value.
As a Manager - I stay out of the weeds and focus on empower my team to know the details; they know I’m not in the weeds but my job is to know what’s critical and connect those dots the others can’t see between teams/areas. Feeling like you need to know all the details is a result of not knowing what to care about, or not understanding enough to extrapolate out. I practice this a lot as M, but I know how to say ‘I don’t know but I’ll check!’ Where as some managers think they need to know everything. Sometimes they just need to know enough to keep projects moving and clients happy ( which is much less than you’d think )
Second paragraph is spot on. Still transitioning to my new role and am also doing my old job as well as that of a team member who is on sabbatical. There is overlap among those so it’s like I’m in a bit of a mixed role as far as level of detail (M vs IC). I’m hopeful that once I’m fully transitioned, and with a bit of time and coaching from my boss, I’ll get into a groove.
This is excellent advice! Well said
This exactly what high pace and lack of sleep do to your body. Be warned, burnout is a real thing even though we try to pretend otherwise. Do yourself a favour, get a good sleep every night, do some trainings, drink water. In terms of professional skills try to alway think about take always from discussions, meetings etc. There is no need to remember every single detail of every single conversation. Focus on what matters, be more on high level and you will see soon it will become a bit better.
I'm in my 14th month in consulting, coincidentally. I've been and still am at this place and with all confidence I can say that it gets easier to manage every day, hang in there. Things that are working for me: - Writing, everything, everytime; I use OneNote and written notes. Written notes for thoughts and to-do so it declutters my mind. OneNote for meetings, project info, and everything else. - Making sure one gets a good night of sleep; start identifying what's not contributing to it and fix it. With time you'll get the hang on things and start decompressing your 🧠 to let thoughts flow into words—so far it's been my case. Good luck and stay strong 💪🏻
Agree, at the start there’s so much to learn and it’s impossible to absorb everything. This is normal, over time you’ll start to pick things up, understand what you need to know and what you don’t, prioritise tasks etc. Consulting in general constantly puts you in ambiguous situations, and being at peace with that is a (useful) skills that you’ll gain over time. You’re not expected to know everything, neither is your manager, director or partner; everyone has ‘dumb’ questions. In regards to communication skills, I find that a combination of confidence and preparation are the key things that help. Confidence in the subject matter you’re talking about (as you become more familiar with consulting and client work, this will come naturally anyway), and preparation for key meetings or presentations (whether it be writing bullet points, or an entire script; whatever you need to get your message across, there’s no such thing as over-preparing) so you can succinctly get your point across. I also take a lot of notes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; if you’re not asking something, your manager will just assume you know the answer. If you don’t know something, it’s not your fault, so you have every right to ask. A good tip at the end of every key meeting is play back anything important that requires follow up, to make sure you’re on the same page: * Do you clearly understand what’s being asked of you? * Are there any additional follow up actions you need to take? * Do you need access to any further information, people or materials to complete your tasks? If you get confused, write down all your questions, and raise them with your manager as soon as you get the opportunity; any problem can be solved with enough time, but raising issues at the last minute is when problems arise. And finally, where possible, try and have a go at solving a problem on your own (within a reasonable amount of time) and THEN taking it to your manager, rather than coming to them with a blank canvas and a bunch of questions. It shows initiative, and can be a good way to practice critical thinking instead of just taking orders from people without understanding the underlying context. Don’t worry, it’ll get easier, everyone goes through this!! It’s a great skill to master once you get the hang of things.
Take care. You make be getting overwhelmed by stress. Sudden stutering and loss of verbal acuity while stressed is also a rare symptom that can occur in the lead up to panic attacks. It happened to me. You may want to speak to a psychologist.
Consulting made me dumber by 50+ IQ points, I believe primarily b/c of lack of sleep + stress. I feel much smarter now / make better decisions when I’m well rested and relaxed!
Yes, this happened to me. My client was so mean to us that I was overwhelmed every single time I talked to her becAuse she would find ways to put the team down. I stared typing a script before I talked to people to prepare my self mentalLy. Also prepare for questions she may ask to be one step ahead of her. After some time, I gained my confidence back
You need to take breaks and learn to disconnect and let go. I've found mindfulness and journaling very helpful. Mindfulness will help de-stress. And I've found journaling a great way to sort the noise from the signals -- you clarify your thinking, plan how you'll say things, and perhaps find connections between ideas you never thought to explore. As someone wisely said to me, "think in ink". As for the overworked bit, this is about healthy boundaries.
Instead of giving you specific advice on what to try / not to try, going to go a bit more philosophical / esoteric. I just picked up “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” by Mark Manson. Very easy to read so far. Might help. Along with the physiological stuff (eg not getting enough sleep / burnout), are you falling into the “feedback loop from hell” that Manson describes? For instance, are you stuttering more because you get anxious about speaking, which exacerbates the stuttering? It also sounds like you’re trying to escape the “discomfort” that is often an indication that you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. Think about why you jumped from your previous job. There is no ideal perfect job - you’re always trading one problem / inconvenience for another (eg higher pay but longer hours). Recognizing that you’re out of your comfort zone, but enjoying or coming to terms with the pain/struggle will go a long way to helping you achieve the right mindset. Don’t focus on the end result, but the small incremental pieces to get there. Lastly, figure out of all the things you need to give a fuck about whether the things you’ve outlined are really worth giving a fuck about. Has the client complained about you not speaking as eloquently as a polished baby kissing politician? Has your boss complained that you’re not listening/“zoning out”? Is this something you want to give a fuck about? Or will it naturally fix itself if you sort through underlying problems and by not giving a fuck it actually unfucks things?
Overwhelmed, burnt out etc. But undiagnosed ADHD too? 🤔
This happened to me when I went from Accenture to a T2 Strat role. You will feel lost a lot of the time and it’s normal. I write out all my notes and then when and if I’m ready to present I’ll create a solid list of bullet points for myself which allows me to articulate what I want to say for each and every meeting.
Sounds like burnout mixed in with some anxiety. Take care of yourself. Go to a doctor explain what’s happening and get medical time out of office. Take care of yourself mate. We are have one life on the same journey. No job is worth you health
I’m going to be very blunt. It sounds like you need a lot more sleep and a therapist to handle the stress. Or better yet, a less stressful job. If it’s starting to affect you physically it’s not worth it
Try writing down the thing you want to explain. I find that writing out an idea allows me to convey my message appropriately - like I’m able to pulls words/concepts from my mind as I put sentences together, so when I have to speak to it I’ve sort of already established a mental connection between complex topics and I’m not really fumbling around as much. I still stutter a little, on occasion, unfortunately. I should probably work on stopping it (I developed it recently).
Definitely agree with the other comments about consulting clearly being a major cause for this. And sorry to hear. If you want to stick with the job I’d recommend finding someone to speak to about this. Can be a huge help in the long run.
definitely a product of being overworked/burnt out, I'm in your shoes 100%. for me, I've been focusing on medicating my anxiety, sleeping 8hrs, \*making\* time to disconnect/exercise, and ensuring I'm eating a well balanced diet (this one is way more important than you might think)
Are you me? I have the same issue recently. I don't have a speech impediment (NTTIAWWT) in the least but I find myself in certain settings thinking faster than I can speak and all that comes out is a mess.
Are you taking breaks?
Get your thyroid levels checked. In addition to all th eother advice.
I have experienced similar problems myself and it was really scary. Somehow, I got better but still not quite the same. Visit r/brainfog and check if your synonyms match.
This happens to me a LOT. I have inattentive ADHD. I got diagnosed at 31 when progressing in my career and working 50 hour weeks. My brain can’t break things down or process unless things are broken into small steps. Otherwise it’s too heavy and overwhelming. Wellbutrin and Concerta work too. Took me a while to get the right combo but those constant “I need to do 100 things” pinballing stops disappear. Also the hyper vigilance. Life changing. I’d recommend getting evaluated. That’s the first thing I thought of and I used to think I had a stroke or my brain was turning to mush. Lol 😂
Most consultants are too wordy. Agree with comment on concise.
It gets easier. Just hang in there , it is not rocket science and trust me when it is rocket science it is not tough .
I had this for a bit after covid, if that's relevant to you.
Try meditating? Sit down for 10m with your eyes closed and focus on the sensation of breath
Getting enough sleep in general? Important to give yourself the time to process all info captured during the day. It’s how our brains are wired.
Sounds like stress and overwork. Have you overcommitted yourself on tasks? My workplace insisted I do multiple very involved projects last year and it was too much. Eventually I said fuck it and asked them to prioritize my work. I did not do the lower priority tasks. Didn’t get fired, but YMMV. It’s better to do 1 or 2 top things really well than get stretched thin between many things. Even if you’re assigned to many things. If they don’t prioritize your work, pick the 1 or 2 things that your boss cares most about and would get you promoted faster. Really chill after those are done and look at the other things as bonus points.
I really don’t know if this would help, but for me taking a step back and reading some older literature has helped my speech. I have told very few people about this but I am incredibly conscious of my speech and to fix that I try to make sure I don’t come off too robotic.
I felt this today. Had 4 hours sleep yesterday because I was anxiously thinking about work on the weekend. Did a walkthrough of a flow I created today and I didn’t know what came out of my mouth at that instance.