
Public speaking for introverts - vanwilder77
http://danshipper.com/public-speaking-for-introverts?utm_source=Dan%27s+Blog+List&utm_campaign=718f71be14-Newsletter_nice_design_17_8_11_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c18fe7384e-718f71be14-40620601
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patio11
Some kids grow up on football. I grew up on public speaking (as behavioral
therapy for a speech impediment, actually). If you want to get radically
better in a hurry:

1) If you ever find yourself buffering on output, rather than making
hesitation noises, just pause. People will read that as considered
deliberation and intelligence. It's _outrageously_ more effective than the
equivalent amount of emm, aww, like, etc. Practice saying nothing. Nothing is
often the best possible thing to say. (A great time to say nothing: during
applause or laughter.)

2) People remember voice a heck of a lot more than they remember content. Not
vocal voice, but your authorial voice, the sort of thing English teachers
teach you to detect in written documents. After you have found a voice which
works for you and your typical audiences, you can exploit it to the hilt.

I have basically one way to start speeches: with a self-deprecating joke. It
almost always gets a laugh out of the crowd, and I can't be nervous when
people are laughing with me, so that helps break the ice and warm us into the
main topic.

3) Posture hacks: if you're addressing any group of people larger than a
dinner table, pick three people in the left, middle, and right of the crowd.
Those three people are your new best friends, who have come to hear you talk
but for some strange reason are surrounded by great masses of mammals who are
uninvolved in the speech. Funny that. Rotate eye contact over your three best
friends as you talk, at whatever a natural pace would be for you. (If you
don't know what a natural pace is, two sentences or so works for me to a first
approximation.)

Everyone in the audience -- both your friends and the uninvolved mammals --
will perceive that you are looking directly at them for enough of the speech
to feel flattered but not quite enough to feel creepy.

4) Podiums were invented by some sadist who hates introverts. Don't give him
the satisfaction. Speak from a vantage point where the crowd can see your
entire body.

5) Hands: pockets, no, pens, no, fidgeting, no. Gestures, yes. If you don't
have enough gross motor control to talk and gesture at the same time (no joke,
this was once a problem for me) then having them in a neutral position in
front of your body works well.

6) Many people have different thoughts on the level of preparation or
memorization which is required. In general, having strong control of the
narrative structure of your speech without being wedded to the exact ordering
of sentences is a good balance for most people. (The fact that you're coming
to the conclusion shouldn't surprise you.)

7) If you remember nothing else on microtactical phrasing when you're up
there, remember that most people do not naturally include enough transition
words when speaking informally, which tends to make speeches loose narrative
cohesion. Throw in a few more than you would ordinarily think to do. ("Another
example of this...", "This is why...", "Furthermore...", etc etc.)

~~~
shawnee_
This is a great list. Another one to add: (8) Don't underestimate the power of
audience participation. Being attuned to opportunities for questions as they
come up makes for a much more interesting experience (both for the speaker and
the audience) than laying down some speech.

Introverts can be really good at the "solutions rather than sales" aspect of
interacting -- which is why we tend to do better 1:1 with people than in big
groups.

~~~
reuven
Audience participation is highly dependent on culture, I've found.

When I give a talk or class in Israel, I can be sure that people will
interrupt me, ask questions, challenge my assertions, and generally push me to
explain what I'm saying. These interactions make things more interesting for
me, always teach me something new, and (I believe) also make the conversation
more relevant for other participants.

By contrast, my experience with American audiences is that they're much
quieter and reluctant to challenge me during the talk. They'll wait until the
formal question time at the end, and then raise issues.

And during the two classes that I gave in Beijing, participants were even
quieter than Americans -- although the second group I taught (this year) were
far more vocal than the ones I spoke last year, so it might have as much to do
with corporate culture and their English level as anything else.

Bottom line, try to get a sense of the audience, and how they expect to
interact with you. Then you can prepare an appropriate balance of prepared
notes vs. discussion with the participants.

Over time, you'll get better at making these judgments and estimates; like
everything else, public speaking is a skill that takes years to improve. But
it's a real rush to give a good talk, and to know that you've taught others
something that they didn't previously know. So do your best, and know that
next time, you'll hopefully do even better!

~~~
jlgreco
> _and (I believe) also make the conversation more relevant for other
> participants._

I believe this is a crapshoot. Many times audience participation is more
accurately described as "audience interruption and diversion". If you let
them, a single audience member can easily derail a presentation in ways that
all of the other audience members are not interested in.

~~~
reuven
Yes, a good lecturer knows (hopefully) how to realize that you're spending too
much time on irrelevant topics, or that you won't get to all of the material
you've planned to cover unless you move ahead. But it can sometimes be
difficult to handle such people.

------
trjordan
I know it's easy to say this is for introverts, but this applies to everybody.
Public speaking is hard: it's not natural to get up in front of a group of
people who aren't going to talk back, and talk for far longer than you'd ever
have to in conversation.

I'm a consummate extrovert, and I recently started doing more public speaking,
both in front of groups of 20-60 and webinar-style, over the phone with 1-5
people. Both were terrifying, and it still makes me nervous. I've been doing
it for about a year, and I'm just now starting to overcome the "Man, I hope
something comes up and we have to cancel" feeling.

Practice is the only way to get comfortable, and practice will make you
better.

~~~
vidarh
Not only does it apply to everybody, but I strongly believe it has nothing to
do with whether or not you're an introvert.

I find public speaking "easy". As a teenager I spent a couple of weeks in
front of rowdy groups of hundreds of school students during school election
debates for a fringe party that made me an ideal candidate for mockery. Didn't
phase me. I held the commencement speech at my university my first year in
front of thousands of students and TV crews, and people couldn't believe how
relaxed I was, but I didn't understand why there was anything to be nervous
about; I knew the manuscript and was after all just going to stand there and
deliver it. I've spoken to quite a few very varied large groups of people. I
don't react to that at all.

Smalltalk with strangers, on the other hand, takes a lot out of me. It's not
just that it triggers anxieties in some situations, but even when it doesn't,
it is exhausting: I have to concentrate much more to actually listen and take
part in conversations that happens for "social reasons" as opposed to about
specific subjects, as otherwise I miss cues etc. or simply will go silent.

I don't mind getting up in front of a crowd of any size without a manuscript
and deliver my message, even if I know it'll be unpopular, but if I'm in a
store, for example, I'd rather spend a couple of extra minutes looking around
rather than asking someone who works there to help me find something, because
one on one interactions with strangers are draining. I even have to
consciously avoid taking steps to "bypass" people I only know vaguely but who
I expect might want to talk to me as if I just go on "autopilot" I'll pick the
route that leads to the least amount of words exchanged.

Perhaps the "aren't going to talk back" part is what makes public speaking
feel easier for me, even when they actually do.

To me, those two things are entirely separate. I'm sure there are lots of
introverts that _also_ have problems with public speaking, but conversely I
know plenty of introverts other than myself who doesn't have a problem with
public speaking, and lots of extroverts who do.

~~~
pessimizer
I agree with this. Introvert/extrovert is another one of those stupid linear
continuums (continuua?) that people get socially diagnosed into that don't
particularly explain, just label. As a painfully shy person who didn't have
any problem being a frontman for touring bands for years, comfort and
discomfort with social situations is a subject more complicated than _yes you
are_ or _no you aren 't_.

~~~
saraid216
Introvert/extrovert does have real meaning, but people generally use it as a
sophisticated synonym for "shy/outgoing", which is utterly false.

~~~
auctiontheory
Thanks for pointing that out. I am somewhat shy and quite extroverted.

------
auctiontheory
1) Toastmasters.

2) Tim Ferriss's advice is surprisingly useful:
[http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/04/11/public-
speak...](http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/04/11/public-speaking-how-
i-prepare-every-time/)

~~~
msluyter
Yes to point 1.

I did Toastmasters for about a year and it had a _huge_ impact. They have a
systematic way of developing your skills (a set of 10 speeches designed to
focus on various aspects, like structure, vocal presentation, gestures,
etc...) It seems quite sound, pedagogically.

Now, you do have to have a minimum of tolerance for getting up and doing a
first speech in the very beginning, but if you can do that, the rest of the
program ramps up gradually. As an introvert, I was never thrilled to be going
_in_ to a Toastmasters meeting, but I always felt really good (energized,
happy) going _out._

------
thejteam
Some types of public speaking are easier for introverts than others. Giving a
preplanned talk in front of a couple of thousand people? Pretend they aren't
there and that you're speaking to the air. Look at the audience as you would
look at a TV screen. It may not be the most spectacular or engaging talk they
have ever seen, but you will get through it. Very few people are so
interesting that you want to hear them talk for very long anyway.

A small interactive discussion group? That lasts all day? Now you are in
territory where being an introvert is deadly. And there really are no good
answers other than try to get some practice in small groups over short time
spans and work your way up.

~~~
vidarh
I think even that depends a lot of topic and format. I don't mind a technical
discussion group at all. A social group on the other hand makes me want to
just shut down. At parties I'll often just sit down somewhere and sit there
all evening (unless I'm at a club - I like dancing and happily use that as an
excuse for not talking), and don't mind talking if someone talks to me, but I
won't seek out conversations unless it's a group of geeks talking about
subjects I care about.

------
nollidge
Kind of nitpicky, but is there actually any correlation between introversion
and public speaking anxiety? I'm pretty introverted, but don't have much
difficulty with public speaking or job interviews or whatever. For me,
introversion is all about personal relationships - business conversations are
a completely different animal, at least in my brain.

------
snarfy
[http://www.toastmasters.org/](http://www.toastmasters.org/)

------
linuxhansl
Can't agree more. I actually have a stutter and avoided any public speaking
until a pretty ripe age.

At some point I just had to do it. I had nightmares, nightsweats, couldn't
sleep or eat. But that is not what mattered. What mattered was that I did it
anyway. I was nervous, wanted to run away, but I did it.

It was for small groups first, giving status updates to a few colleagues -
even those used to stress me.

Then after some speaking at conferences, I was surprised that these status
updates ever caused me any stress.

From there I went to a key note in front of 800 or more people (a few years
back I would quite literally preferred to die rather than doing that).
Suddenly the conference engagement became less daunting.

The funny thing is: On stage I do not stutter. I guess I'm too busy delivering
the message.

And what if I do? It doesn't really matter. Some people might find it funny (I
certainly had my share of that when I was younger, but those folks are
typically inferior on an intellectual level and are just looking for
compensation.)

And, yes, I am still extremely nervous before each public engagement and I
still not like it per se, but you know what? That's part of it.

------
dmitri1981
I would also recommend checking these slides from Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz fame.
[http://www.slideshare.net/randfish/making-presentations-
bett...](http://www.slideshare.net/randfish/making-presentations-better)

~~~
dshipper
Great presentation, thanks for sharing!

------
jcolman
Love this post. Great tips that are useful for anybody/everybody, introverts
and extroverts alike.

Just want to make the point that shyness/anxiety/insecurity != introversion.
They're completely separate spectrums. Sure, sometimes they cross one another,
but correlation of the two does not mean causation.

Here's a good post by Susan Cain (the author of Quiet) that gets at this idea:
[http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/2011/07/05/are-you-
shy-i...](http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/2011/07/05/are-you-shy-
introverted-both-or-neither-and-why-does-it-matter/)

------
gadders
Interesting article, but can we get away from this idea that introvert = shy?

Being an introvert just means that you find different things interesting, not
that you're scared of groups.

------
mhartl
This article is based on a dubious premise, namely, that public speaking is
harder for introverts than for extroverts. Introverts are taxed by smalltalk
and the like, but they often have no trouble getting up in front of hundreds
of people and performing. Think Michael Jackson: painfully diffident in
private, but a monster on stage.

------
sethev
Toastmasters has been a big help for me. You get to practice speaking in front
of a group of people who are all there to practice speaking as well. Knowing
everybody is there to learn the same skills takes some of the pressure off.
Plus every time you give a speech somebody is assigned to evaluate it in the
same meeting. So you get instant feedback and constructive criticism.

Another big advantage of Toastmasters is that there are a lot of opportunities
for impromptu speaking. This made me very nervous at first but it’s incredibly
valuable to practice speaking for 1-2 minutes without notes.

------
demo9090
If you don't know how to speak publicly, what entitles you about writing a
post to give recommendations about that what you do badly?

This is something very common on the blogosphere right now, the kind of posts
that starts with a "I suck doing this, this are my 10 ways to do it better.."

There is a lot of interesting lectures out there about how to be better
speaking publicly, we don't need advices or recommendations from someone who
doest know about the topic.

The worst thing is that news.ycombinator keep bubbling this things up.

~~~
pitt1980
want to throw out a few links to what you consider to be the best of "a lot of
interesting lectures out there about how to be better speaking publicly"?

the beginner/"I suck at this" vantage point might be more relevent to a
paticular reader as the expert one

~~~
VLM
I'm guessing you want a curated list of something better than just google.

Some folks who consider this problem to be their hobby (there are also other
similar groups):

[http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp](http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp)

A non-obvious phrase to google for is "public speaking anxiety" which is more
formally the problem, not some INT/EXT thing or just simply being no good at
it which usually is just personality pessimism.

I remember I had to take a public speaking class at university a long time ago
and there is obvious some discussion and support; plus you get credit, plus
probably tuition reimbursement from employer.

Not having an issue with speaking, but experiencing one with heights, I know
that working as a team helps a lot. This seems to be a semi-universal human
trait, you put one redneck in the back country and he's fine, put two out
there and a bunch of "hold my beer and watch this" later, you need an
ambulance, its inevitable, not just rednecks in the back country. So I would
imagine a team public speaking presentation would be enormously easier than
going it alone. I know this helps a lot with being scared of heights, at least
for me.

(edited to add there's also two types of public speaking, the stylistic one
where you should use your hands while talking precisely this much in 2013 for
network TV but this much for locals, and make sure to blink on cue and use the
correct fake accent at the correct time, and the more concrete goal of giving
a speech to the public... make sure your teacher or information source is
aiming at what you actually want to learn. In a similar way WRT me and
heights, there's stylistic stuff like what kind of costume a trapeze artist
wears in 2013 (I have no idea) vs how to climb on roofs and antenna towers
which I can help a little with)

------
ctdonath
A quote that made a difference for me, addressing the paralyzing issue of
"what if I'm wrong? what if I make a mistake in front of all these people?":

 _though it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does at
least make the reassuring claim, that where it is inaccurate it is at least
definitively inaccurate._ \- Douglas Adams

If I'm wrong when speaking to a group, then by gum I'll strive to be
_definitively_ wrong.

------
simonebrunozzi
I am copying this from a recent blog post that I've written. Hopefully it's
good advice. Let me know what you think.

3) What did I learn? Now you might want to ask: after 500 talks,
presentations, keynotes and the like, what did I learn?

Many things, among which:

3.1) Somebody in the audience is smarter than you: no matter how smart,
focused, sharp you are, you’ll always find someone who is smarter, more
prepared, more skilled. Which means: be humble, and if you don’t know
something, just say so. People don’t pretend that you know everything; they
just want you to be honest.

3.2) Slides are only a small part of a presentation: you present to inspire,
and possibly to provide knowledge and details. Slides are not the main part…
The most important part is telling a story, involving people, showing passion,
making things memorable.

3.3) Always be listening. I mean it. Even when you’re on stage, speaking.

Don’t just listen to WORDS. Listen to feelings as well. I’ll tell you a little
story to explain this point. Late 2009. I was in France, and I was the last
speaker before lunch. I was supposed to speak at 12:30, for about 30 minutes.
However, previous speakers took more time than expected, and one of the big
sponsors pretended to have their CEO speak before me, unplanned, for more than
20 minutes, reading some text the entire time. READING. No slides, no
interpretation. Why didn’t he simply email all of us, instead?

His message was very boring, very corporate, full of vaporware. His last words
were about how customer-obsessed his company was.

He was using people’s time as he pleased, without even thinking about their
needs. When it was my turn, it was already 13:00, and people really wanted to
go to lunch. I was angry. I was in a difficult situation.

I introduced myself, and then told the audience: “My talk was planned to be 30
minutes long. However, we are late, and you are hungry. I’ll cut my talk down
to 15 minutes, and then we all go to lunch at 13:15. This is what I call
customer obsession.”

Big round of applauses. The crowd was mine. So, the lesson is: if you want to
deliver a message, the length of the message doesn’t count. Other things
count. Or, if you want to be a Technology Evangelist, don’t FORCE the message
to your crowd. Use empathy.

3.4) Get inspired. I have amazing colleagues that inspire me every day. Our
CTO, Werner Vogels, is one of the best public speaker I’ve ever seen, perhaps
second only to my all-time favorite, Matt Wood (a rare combination of
intelligence, humility, knowledge and a collection of PhDs), who recently
moved to a new role, Chief Data Scientist. Our most senior Evangelist, Jeff
Barr, is a walking encyclopaedia on all things AWS. Jinesh Varia is a
talented, super-smart producer of high quality content, and a good presenter
too. And there are other colleagues (like Simon Elisha) which, despite not
strictly being Technology Evangelists, are amazing speakers nevertheless.

There are also a lot of amazing Technology Evangelists out there, not just
within the Amazon Web Services team. I loved reading Kenneth Reitz’s blog post
about his experience at Heroku. So the lesson here is: get inspired, as much
as possible. Never stop learning and improving.

3.5) I’ve mentioned above that “It doesn’t necessarily make sense to travel
like this, though”.

In fact, after 500 talks, I think that I should focus on quality, rather than
quantity. Let me be more clear. At the beginning, you should do as many talks
as possible, simply because you learn a lot, and you mostly learn by doing.
After a while (500 is enough, but also 200 would be enough), you will notice
that you’re not improving so much anymore. It’s time for you to start focusing
on quality. Quality, in this case, means committing your time and energy to
events that matter. It could be a small user group, or a huge conference, but
as long as it matters, it’s ok. It will actually be easier for me now, since I
am focused on the Bay area, and therefore travelling time is not as much as it
used to be… Which means I can afford to do more events, while keeping the
“quality” high.

3.6) You’re a public figure representing your company, learn how to deal with
it.

This was a tough one to learn, and I admit it wasn’t easy for me, but
eventually I’ve learned it the hard way. Different companies might have
different policies, but in most cases you are not “just one employee”,
whatever you do online or in public matters a lot.

Ah, and by the way: Opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily
represent those of current or past employers. Just in case.

Source: [http://www.brunozzi.com/2013/01/04/500-times-on-
stage/](http://www.brunozzi.com/2013/01/04/500-times-on-stage/)

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tlarkworthy
Indeed, slide transitions are an important polish

------
known
Practice, practice, practice

