Results of Synergy

These past 23 days have been the most incredible of my life!

Our last meeting was life-altering!

Of the 4 master mind groups I facilitate, the most recent had members speaking the above words - and that's because they were willing to share their business experiences of what has been working and what are they challenged with. And then, they were willing to ask for and listen for help.

Sharing a page or two

Ever stepped away from the platform after having just presented to a group and thought, "I was really into the topic and so was my audience. Yet, I was all over the place." It happens. The passion many presenters have to get it all out there when sharing what they know leads them to forget to focus.

I was recently in the audience of a presenter who did just that. When checking in with her after her presentation about how she felt about the experience, she said, "You know how a child, so excited to share news, will just blurt it all out there incoherently? That's how I felt."

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.