✨ Why You Keep Over-Explaining — And How to Stop

A QUICK TIP TO BEAT OVERWHELM

If a task feels overwhelming, set a timer for 5 minutes and just begin.

🧠 Why it works: Taking action builds confidence and breaks the pattern of avoidance.

👉 Use it: When a task feels too big to start.

🔍 DEEP DIVE

✨ Why You Keep Over-Explaining — And How to Stop

You’ve already answered the question.

But then you add more detail. And another point. And another.

By the time you stop, the room looks distracted — and you’re wondering why you didn’t just leave it at the first sentence.

What’s Really Going On

Over-explaining isn’t about lack of knowledge — it’s about your nervous system searching for safety.

When you’re under pressure, your brain releases cortisol. That narrows your focus and heightens your sensitivity to other people’s reactions. If you sense the smallest flicker of doubt or disinterest, you rush to close the gap with more words.

It’s an unconscious way of saying: “If I give enough detail, they can’t dismiss me.”

The problem is, the more you explain, the less authority your words carry.

How to Reset the Habit

Try these three shifts to replace over-explaining with calm, clear authority.

Step 1 — State, Stop, Breathe

Give your answer in one clear sentence. Then stop.

Take a single breath before deciding whether to add more.

💡 Tip: If you feel the urge to keep talking, ask yourself: “Have I been clear?” not “Have I said enough?”

Step 2 — Anchor to Your Role, Not Their Reaction

Authority doesn’t come from giving the most information, it comes from clarity and composure.

💡 Action: Before your next meeting, write one sentence that captures your role in the conversation e.g. “I’m here to set direction” or “I’m here to bring clarity”. Use it as your anchor if you feel pulled into over-explaining.

Step 3 — Replace Detail with Presence

When your mind races to add more proof, shift attention back into your body.

Feel your feet on the floor, slow your breathing, then hold eye contact.

💡 Tip: Presence signals confidence more strongly than words. People trust your calm far more than your extra detail.

This Week’s Challenge

Choose one conversation where you tend to over-explain.

State your point clearly, then stop.

Notice how the silence works for you — not against you.

Final Thought

Over-explaining dilutes your authority.

The more words you add, the less weight they carry.

You don’t need to prove yourself with volume. You need to back yourself with clarity.