I'm not sure I'm a slow thinker, but I often over think which causes me to delay output. I also struggle with word recall which compounds my issues with real-time communication. This is something I tried to seek some advice on the other day without much luck, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39512837
Regardless of whether I'm a slow thinker or not though, we have the exact same problem in that my ability to answer questions on the spot is probably comparable to someone with an IQ in the 80-90 range, while my actual IQ is likely somewhere around 130.
The only thing that I can realistically do is just reject to answer certain questions on the spot. Normally I'll say something like, "I'm sorry, I'd need to think about that a bit and get back to you", but obviously whether or not this is appropriate will depend on the context – you can't say this in an interview, for example.
I'm also autistic and something I've learnt in life is that when you have such divergent abilities really have no option but to play to your strengths. There are always things you can do to improve where your ability is lacking, but realistically you're not going to be able to completely alter the way your mind works. The better strategy is just to appreciate the ways you excel and try your best to use your strengths to add value to the situations you find yourself in.
So for me I think my ability to go away and reflect on problems is excellent, so if this is an option for me that's what I'll try to do. So maybe your strength just isn't in real-time debates? Maybe you're better at making your arguments via blog posts, or if this is at work perhaps you're good at going away, thinking about something and then writing up a proposal with your reasoning.
The other way this effects me which I'll briefly comment on is my ability to joke and have small talk. Because I'm not very witty and I'm autistic I can naturally come off as a bit cold and detached in conversations. I deal with this by trying to overcompensate for my natural coldness by smiling and showing appreciation for people so they know I'm not cold because I don't like them, I'm just a bit socially awkward. I don't know if you have the same problem, but this helps me a ton at work. I think people who lack social wit often fall into trap of thinking that they can't be likeable people, but really the reason they're not likeable is because they make people feel uncomfortable around them. In my experience people kinda like awkward people when they're friendly and positive to be around. There's lots of examples of lovable awkward characters in popular media that might come to mind and be good models to try to replicate in your own interactions.
Regardless of whether I'm a slow thinker or not though, we have the exact same problem in that my ability to answer questions on the spot is probably comparable to someone with an IQ in the 80-90 range, while my actual IQ is likely somewhere around 130.
The only thing that I can realistically do is just reject to answer certain questions on the spot. Normally I'll say something like, "I'm sorry, I'd need to think about that a bit and get back to you", but obviously whether or not this is appropriate will depend on the context – you can't say this in an interview, for example.
I'm also autistic and something I've learnt in life is that when you have such divergent abilities really have no option but to play to your strengths. There are always things you can do to improve where your ability is lacking, but realistically you're not going to be able to completely alter the way your mind works. The better strategy is just to appreciate the ways you excel and try your best to use your strengths to add value to the situations you find yourself in.
So for me I think my ability to go away and reflect on problems is excellent, so if this is an option for me that's what I'll try to do. So maybe your strength just isn't in real-time debates? Maybe you're better at making your arguments via blog posts, or if this is at work perhaps you're good at going away, thinking about something and then writing up a proposal with your reasoning.
The other way this effects me which I'll briefly comment on is my ability to joke and have small talk. Because I'm not very witty and I'm autistic I can naturally come off as a bit cold and detached in conversations. I deal with this by trying to overcompensate for my natural coldness by smiling and showing appreciation for people so they know I'm not cold because I don't like them, I'm just a bit socially awkward. I don't know if you have the same problem, but this helps me a ton at work. I think people who lack social wit often fall into trap of thinking that they can't be likeable people, but really the reason they're not likeable is because they make people feel uncomfortable around them. In my experience people kinda like awkward people when they're friendly and positive to be around. There's lots of examples of lovable awkward characters in popular media that might come to mind and be good models to try to replicate in your own interactions.