How do i avoid info-dumping when excited?

I was at a friend’s rooftop barbecue last month, clutching a warm Sprite and minding my own awkward business, when someone asked what I’d been reading. Ten minutes later I came up for air, still listing fun facts about deep-sea worms. Everyone else had moved on to the guac. Classic info-dump. My brain was buzzing, my chest was tight, and I wanted to crawl inside the cooler.

If any of that feels familiar, welcome. You’re not broken; you’re just excited and maybe a little anxious. Good news: excitement and anxiety run on the same fuel, so we can hack one to calm the other. Here are a few tricks that helped me stop word-vomiting and start having actual back-and-forth conversations.

why we turn into wikipedia on shuffle

Social anxiety tells us we need to prove our worth fast or we’ll be forgotten. Excitement screams, “You finally have something interesting - don’t waste it!” Put them together and you get a frantic verbal download. Naming the pattern helps:

- You feel a physical surge (heart rate up, hands moving).

- You fear silence, so you fill every gap.

- You lose track of the other person’s face.

Spot the pattern early and you’ll have time to hit the brakes.

the 70/30 breath rule

Here’s the simplest guardrail I know. Aim to speak for about 30 % of the time and listen for 70 %. No stopwatch needed; use your breath. After one chunk of talking, close your mouth until you’ve taken a full inhale and exhale through your nose. That two-second pause lets the other person jump in, or at least nod. It also drops your heart rate. The first few times feel like cliff-diving - hold the pause anyway. Your future self will thank you.

ask-two, pass-it-back

Questions are conversational brakes. Keep two in your pocket: one broad, one specific. Example:

1. “What got you into that?”

2. “Has it changed much lately?”

After you share a thought, fire off one of your questions. Then actually let the silence sit. The second they start talking, nod and pass the mic. If they boomerang the question back, cool, you’ve earned another short burst of info. If not, even better - you’re learning something new.

the pocket note trick

Some of us panic because we worry we’ll forget a juicy detail if we don’t blurt it now. Solution: jot a one-word cue on your phone or a sticky note. “Worm light,” “lava tube,” whatever. Parking the thought frees your brain to listen. Later, if the vibe’s right, you can circle back: “Oh, that reminds me, I wrote down something wild about deep-sea worms - want to hear it?” Ninety percent of the time I end up deleting the note because the urge passes. The other ten percent? People actually say yes, and I look prepared instead of chaotic.

repair and keep moving

Even with all the tactics, you’ll slip. I still do. When you catch yourself mid-monologue, own it casually: “I just realised I’m ranting - my bad. What do you think?” That single sentence resets the room. Most folks appreciate the self-awareness and jump in. Then you can follow the 70/30 breath rule again.

quick recap you can screenshot

- Notice the physical surge early.

- Breathe once, speak once.

- Two questions ready at all times.

- Park stray thoughts on a note.

- If you ramble, name it and pivot.

wrapping up on a lighter note

Conversations aren’t TED talks; they’re ping-pong. The goal isn’t to dump your entire brain but to rally, laugh, and maybe learn something. Every pause you take is an invitation, not a failure. Try one of these tricks at your next hangout - maybe tonight, maybe in the office kitchen tomorrow. Your stories will land better, you’ll feel lighter, and nobody will edge toward the guac in slow motion. Deep-sea worms can wait; the point is connection.

Go forth, breathe, and leave space for someone else’s weird obsession. You’ve got this.