Are You Cut Out for Public Speaking?

Earlier I posted a comment on my personal facebook page: "I am an introvert on the move." And many people who know me well responded, "You aren't an introvert!"

How is it that people who know us well can get such a huge thing wrong: whether we are an introvert or extrovert? Maybe you'd be surprised by the answer - because we so often practice extroverted traits. Especially those behaviors of getting in front of audiences. Maybe most people think introverts aren't cut out for getting in front of audiences.

#1 Audience Complaint - Up the Introvert Alley

Cramming too much information into a short span of time

You've been in these audiences before. You hear the speaker say, "let's get started because we have a lot to cover". Motivation to dig in and listen? No. This comment is more like motivation to groan, to tune out, to pull out the notepads to start doodling.

Why I enjoy Observing Presentations

Several months ago I began the practice of observing speakers. I posted a plea on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for discovering Ohio-based presentations from folks in my network and have begun finding ways to be in their audiences. Sometimes they make the arrangements themselves for me, sometimes they refer me to the event planner for assistance. Nonetheless, I now am a speaker's observer.

Managing the Negative Perceptions

It's Monday. Planning for your day ahead you realize you are scheduled to attend an internal meeting. And you wish to make a good impression with your meeting participation. You consider, what do people expect of me? That I talk? That I have energy in my manner? That I respond quickly?

If you're an introvert, these expectations do not match your temperament. And when your behaviors fall short from the expectations, there is a perception gap that remains which begs the question of you, Is there something wrong?

Feed your Introvert Downtime Need

It's Friday, a great day for us introverts to reduce our stress. If we've been out meeting with folks during the day through the rest of the week, maybe even attended a few "required" evening events, we need the downtime. Friday is a great day to set aside "me" time: follow up on the paper trails, focus on needed research, and/or make the next prospecting list.

This week I have focused on Stress, the #1 Introvert Barrier Pattern, while addressing some of the factors that cause it: work overload (see post Inside the Lines) and focusing on the physical symptoms (see post Physical Symptoms Don't Have to Derail Us). And another contributor to introvert stress is people exhaustion.

And the Winner Is...

Today is a big day for a client of mine. She is winning an award she is humbled to receive and eager to speak well for, in response. When she called me to seek guidance in creating and practicing her acceptance speech, she had 2 major thougths to share:

I can't believe they picked me

I want to validate their selection

Yet guess which thought her first draft of the acceptance speech focused on? You guessed it - disbelief. For the first several minutes her message focused on why she didn't deserve the award. I knew right away this dear soul isn't used to getting and/or accepting recognition.

Physical Symptoms Don't Have to Derail Us

In theatre I learned that our body feels the same when we are anxious as when we are excited. Butterflies happen both times. The butterflies we feel moments before the curtain opens - that queasiness which affects the digestive system, that makes our ears go red and our palms sweat - are symptoms that we give meaning to sometimes without thinking. Whether we are experiencing these symptoms in our professional or personal lives, when we assume the worst, we get it.