Public speaking can be a challenge for many people. Stepping out of your comfort zone and speaking to an audience can turn people into nervous wrecks. And perhaps more so for introverts. But Author, Sissel Heiberg, explains how public speaking does not have to be so daunting for introverts. She discusses the different types of introverts and what they can do to face a roomful of people with confidence.
If you’re an introvert, you’re never going to enjoy public speaking, right? And that surprise birthday party where everyone looks at you and claps? Forget it. Introverts just aren’t made for being in the public eye or being the centre of attention – or so we’re led to believe. According to the introvert myth, those with a quiet disposition prefer to stay in the background, don’t like making a fuss and prefer to just get on with things instead of drawing attention to themselves. But the truth is a lot more nuanced than that.
Introversion is actually very simply defined as two things: whether you prefer to recharge your batteries alone or with other people, and whether you prefer to reflect before speaking. Introverts prefer to recharge alone or with one other person (or a small group of people they know well), and introverts reflect whereas extroverts are the opposite and use speaking as part of their thought process. Public speaking is affected by neither of these dimensions – and neither affect a person’s ability to speak eloquently and persuasively in public. In the words of famous introvert and bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, ‘speaking is not an act of extroversion’. In his view, public speaking is a performance.
Researchers are also discovering that there are different types of introverts: one person might be a reflective introvert and have an emphasis on slow, deliberate decision-making but be comfortable in social settings of any size, whereas someone else might be a social introvert and need a larger amount of time alone, but might make decisions more quickly than the reflective introvert. We really are all unique. Similarly, it’s not possible to tell from looking at someone whether they’re an introvert or not. There are many famous performers and orators who consider themselves to be on the introverted spectrum, such as Steve Martin, Tom Hardy, Christina Aguilera, RuPaul, Prince, Taylor Swift, Lorde, Bob Dylan, Emma Watson, Barack Obama, to name a few. These individuals perform for a living and live their lives in the public eye, not because of or despite their introversion – but simply as an aside to it.
Therefore, if you’re an introvert and nervous about public speaking, know that this isn’t an immutable or fixed part of your personality or that it will limit your future career trajectory, it’s simply a skill that hasn’t yet had its muscles exercised sufficiently – and everyone needs practice to improve in skills we don’t use very often. Unlike your introversion, which is a part of your personality and likely to stay with you for life in some form or other, nervousness about public speaking is something you can alleviate or eliminate, depending on how you approach it and what your current anxiety levels are. Doing something you’re nervous about repeatedly, in increasingly difficult contexts, also helps to reduce the nerves associated with that activity (psychologists call this exposure therapy).
It is important to recognise that leadership often does come with an expectation to speak in public, to convey authority and expertise and to instil confidence in the listener that your company is in good hands. In this context, it’s important to make sure you’re comfortable with public speaking, or at the very least that you look comfortable while doing it. You can look for opportunities to do this, starting from any level you’re currently at. If there’s a town hall meeting in your department at work, suggest that you talk about the latest project you’re working on to give everyone an update; if this feels too much (or if your department is too big for this to be a comfortable first step), do it in a team context instead. Alternatively, go one level up and do a press conference for your company before doing the quarterly analyst calls with investors – start at whatever level that works for you, then increase the stakes at a pace that stretches you a tiny bit every time.
Good first presentation topics are those that are both close to your heart and relevant to your work (for instance, at the starter level, if you volunteer with a mental health charity you can talk about the potential for the team to fundraise for them, or the link between good work/life balance and mental wellbeing, or how to avoid burnout; if you play football every weekend, consider using yourself as a case study for how physical exercise has improved your mental focus at work; if you’ve recently started evening studies, share how it’s going and inform about other study options that your company supports). The specific topic is less important than the fact that it’s something you feel comfortable talking about. That way you can focus less on the content and more on the act of speaking, and how you want to come across without adding a layer of nervousness about the subject matter.
Then seek out increasingly complex, and larger and larger groups to talk to – and you’ll find that, with time, what used to make you nervous no longer does. What you used to dread becomes routine, and as your threshold is increased, the anxiety you used to associate with public speaking one day only shows up when you go over the comfort level – which we should all do every so often. The actual threshold varies from person to person, and context is individual too; for some it can be that a recording is worse than a live event, for others it’s the size of the group that makes a difference, and for others it could affect nerves if there are people they know in the audience. Find out what your triggers are, and work on expanding your comfort zone step by step. Whatever your public speaking history, and whatever your personal position on the introversion spectrum, practice really does make a difference.
Sissel Heiberg is author of Quiet Leader: What you can learn from the power of introverts which examines the benefits of introversion in leadership, out now, published by Pearson.