Confidence in Public Speaking for Introverts

I’m standing in front of a few hundred people. My knees are shaking and my body is bathed in a spotlight. How did I get here?

I’m an introvert. Public speaking doesn’t come naturally to me. It makes me nervous and even sick. Yet, I’ve volunteered repeatedly, to speak in front of a crowd of people.

Why do I do this to myself?

I have a complicated relationship with public speaking. The mere thought of speaking to a room full of strangers gives me the jitters. I’ve always been a quiet and shy person.

This has been my experience since I started doing presentations. You see, although I detest oratorical speeches, I’m actually quite good at it. This comes as a surprise to many people.

Overcoming speaking anxiety to building confidence felt like an impossible task. If you’re an introvert who has trouble making a splash in social situations, you’re not alone, follow these five tips to improve your public presentation.     

1. Be as prepared as possible

One of the advantages that we introverts have is that we often prepare more when it comes to public speaking; unlike many extroverts who think they can just wing it when they get on stage.

If you’re not naturally chatty or good at the old small talk, it pays to be prepared. A major fear that many introverts have is losing their train of thought mid-speech and not having the communicative skills to get back on track.

To avoid this, prepare as you’ve never prepared before.

2. Practice, practice, practice

As an introvert, I need to prepare in advance before taking the stage. With practice, I found myself growing more comfortable with public speaking.

3. Focus on the audience

One way to master speaking anxiety is to forget about yourself and focus on the audience.

The best speeches are ones that give the audience what they want; whether that’s solving a problem or reaffirming a belief that they have.

4. Start off with a story

A story is a great way to get your speech going. Not only does it have the potential to peak initial interest, but it can also help set your audience in time, place, and mood.

Emotions are the touchstones to speech success, so tug on a string of feelings to get your audience invested early on.

Also, wrapping up your speech with an afterthought on your opening story is a nice way to bring the experience around the full circle while providing a satisfying close for your audience.

5. Let others do the talking

To keep the communicative theme going consider asking questions directly to your audience. Not only will asking questions to the crowd get you some active participants, but it will help ease any nerves you have by sharing the spotlight.

Bottom line

Yes, I’m an introvert, but I’m also a hell of a good public speaker. I can’t cover my fear or my nerves when I get on stage. Instead, I use them to communicate with emotion and passion because beneath my quiet veneer, I have something to say.

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