Do you plan out conversations in your head?

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Yes I do. All the time. I script out most conversations.

Yes, I do this alot. I also tend to think out loud, which I imagine makes me look slightly mad :/

I do the same.

I do it all the time. I get very anxious & scared before a situation that involves me having to talk to people, so imagine what the other person might say & then practice (not out loud) what to say back & how to answer.

I do it sometimes. Then they put me on lots of medication for the anxiety. I don't anymore.

Yup.

I sometimes even plan my body language. Like, 'one, two, now roll your eyes...'

I suck at doing things instinctively without thinking.

I also do it very often. Sometimes it must seem very weird to other people because I thought I was finished with planning what I'm going to say and it sounds like I want to say something, but then I realize there would be a better way of saying what I want to say and start to think about for the next minute.

I often mentally plan out conversation.
... naturally went a mentally prepared conversation comes in reality, it never goes like I prepared it.

Looks like we have quite a consensus!

Oh, yes, and it interferes with my sleep. I have long, elaborate imaginary conversations/arguments with nearly everyone, even with people who are dead (ahem Abraham Lincoln) or don't exist -- my story characters, usually. I should stop.

I depends upon the person and the situation on whether I plan my conversations out. I don't plan them out word for word, but much rather an outline of the topics that I would like to discuss with that person or group.

An example of this has to do with an event that I am planning to attend in a couple of weeks. A friend whom I have a love/hate realtionship with and is kind of unpredictable is probably going to be there. If I run into him, I am already planning what I am going to discuss with him.

I have learned though, that conversations are a lot more spontanious when you have them, so the planning kind of gets thrown out the window.

zeldapsychology wrote: As in what you are going to say to someone. I do this alot and was curious if others do this too. I find it odd!... - If it's real important, I tend to spend a few minutes listing on paper the most important topics (preceded by a box), then during the conversation I go down the short list and check the boxes. That way the most important items are taken care of. - pgd

Yeah, all the time. But most of the time the conversations don't actually end up happening in real life.

It's been a nightmare for me. I went years choreographing and re-choreographing every encounter I might expect to have, and after a while I "got good at it". Meaning if I stuck to the script, people formed a good first impression of me.

Only problem is the 100% phoniness. It might be functionally advantageous up to a certain point. But sooner or later it becomes clear you're choreographing, and when that fact manifests you'll get dropped like a bad habit. Because nobody likes a phony.

It's a damned hard habit to break, I encourage anyone avidly engaged in this practice to stop now. These days I try to sever these thoughts by asking myself instead things like:

* What do I, or should I hope to get out of this interaction?
* What are the only meaningful things I have to convey?
* Do I even have anything to say? Are my words an improvement upon a mere smile and greeting?

It's less mentally taxing, it's honest, and the more I do this the better my interactions seem to go. Because few plans this elaborate survive first contact with reality, might as well be at ease with what you can't, or shouldn't control.

I also plan my conversations, gives me a little more control, you can have influence on (the outcome of) the conversation by your choice and tone of words. However my non-verbal communication is out of control, so it doesn't always work due to that.

I not only plan out conversations, but entire nights in my head! If I'm going out with friends I kind of act out what will happen internally. Sometimes what I've acted out actually happens and that freaks me out!