{"id":25193,"date":"2014-03-27T20:13:13","date_gmt":"2014-03-28T04:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=25193"},"modified":"2014-03-27T20:13:13","modified_gmt":"2014-03-28T04:13:13","slug":"introverts-guide-to-public-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?<\/p>\n

Many of us may associate introversion with shyness, a lack of confidence and a preference to \u2018stay in the background\u2019. If you look at a group of your friends or colleagues and identify the biggest introvert and extrovert, the logical person to put forward for a public speaking engagement would be the life and soul of the party right? The person that largely keeps themselves to themselves would definitely struggle to influence a crowd wouldn\u2019t they? Well our experience shows us that the answer is in fact an unequivocal \u2018no\u2019. Indeed many of the qualities of an introvert actually lend themselves perfectly to the discipline of public speaking \u2013 often more so than those of an extrovert.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re an introvert the good news is that you innately have the skills at your disposal to speak to an audience with confidence, authenticity and flair.<\/p>\n

Here are 3 common traits of an introvert and how they can be harnessed to brilliant effect when presenting:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introverts learn through the observation of others<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When in a normal conversation an introvert will instinctively have their full attention on the other person \u2013 they are brilliant listeners with a genuine interest and curiosity in other people. It\u2019s not as great a leap as it may initially seem to employ that same ability when presenting to an audience.<\/p>\n

A major quality of dynamic public speakers is that they are very much \u2018in the moment\u2019. They are able to read their environment in a way that allows them to supplement and enhance their presentations beyond the script. If you are present<\/i> you are able to cite things around you in a way that will resonate with your audience e.g. \u2018let\u2019s hope by the end of this speech that the heaters might kick in and we can all take our coats off\u2019. \u00a0If an introvert taps into and uses their observational powers when speaking they will elevate themselves beyond the ordinary.<\/p>\n

Renowned comedian, actor and yes, introvert, <\/i>Steve Martin is a wonderfully honed public speaker \u2013 watch his acceptance speech at 2013\u2019s Governor\u2019s Awards and see how he instantly uses a physical interplay between himself and Tom Hanks to draw his audience in before<\/i> he even says a word: http:\/\/www.edisonred.com\/blog\/posts\/3-presentation-tips-from-a-comic-genius\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Introverts focus on the big picture and notice details that others may not<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Small talk and monotonous tasks are two big factors that can cause annoyance or even anxiety to an introverted personality. Rather than discussing the weather or what you both got up to at the weekend, introverts are far more interested in overall visions and their intricacies \u2013 it\u2019s estimated that at least 40{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of the world\u2019s CEOs are introverts. This attention to detail walks hand in hand with building the content of a compelling presentation, particularly when it comes to forming visuals.<\/p>\n

A well structured presentation will keep an audience focused, informed and engaged. A brilliant <\/i>one will do all of the above but will also surprise them with things they hadn\u2019t necessarily noticed or considered before. If an introvert uses their natural ability to uncover the finer details of a subject \u2013 be it last month\u2019s income, the latest marketing drive or customer satisfaction – and then weaves those details into their presentation, they will amplify key messages and leave the audience with a real call to action, e.g. \u2018increasing client retention annually by just 5{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} will increase turnover by nearly $4 million\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Introverts are well equipped to deal with nerves<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Introverts aren\u2019t usually big fans of networking or other situations that involve a lot of one-on-one interactions with new people.\u00a0 If forced to choose between meeting a new group of individuals or presenting to several hundred people, research suggests they are more likely to go for the presentation.<\/p>\n

A healthy by-product of this is that an introvert\u2019s levels of anxiety in the build up to a presentation will be very responsive to standard relaxation techniques \u2013 such as breathing exercises and positive visualization, i.e. seeing yourself being brilliant.<\/p>\n

Taking to a stage of any size in a relaxed state allows us to focus fully on our audience and message, dispelling any unhelpful feelings of self-doubt or negativity.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re lucky enough to be classed as an introvert and you have a presentation coming up, here\u2019s some key things to remember:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 use your observational powers to replicate the body language of professional speakers \u2013 do this accurately and your confidence will naturally grow.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 use your keen eye and attention to detail to uncover the most important elements of your presentation material and then weave them into your speech for maximum impact.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 practice breathing and relaxation techniques used by actors so you can immediately call upon them if you feel any nerves prior to a speech.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 start your research now by watching TED talks \u2013\u00a0 and of course there\u2019s no better place to start than \u2018The Power of Introverts\u2019 by Susan Cain: http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts<\/a><\/p>\n

About the author:\u00a0David Bliss<\/a>\u00a0is a director and co-founder of\u00a0Edison Red<\/a>, a training company specializing in all things Presentation, Story and Visual Design.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps? Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":25239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[37,205],"tags":[3231,3592,2121,66,104,498,4629,1419],"yoast_head":"\nAn Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"573\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"384\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png\",\"width\":573,\"height\":384,\"caption\":\"self improvement\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/\",\"name\":\"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":573,"height":384,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/how-to-give-a-speech.png","width":573,"height":384,"caption":"self improvement"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/","name":"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00","dateModified":"2014-03-28T04:13:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"Being an introvert and speaking in public \u2013 sounds like a match made in hell perhaps?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/introverts-guide-to-public-speaking\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An Introvert\u2019s 3 Step Guide to Public Speaking"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}