Every person can be an effective speaker, whether it is presenting in front of a large audience in an auditorium, talking at a networking event, giving a project update at a team meeting, pitching a potential new client, and more.
It always comes down to connecting with our audience.
Making these connections helps us share the information we want and helps our audience to be able to hear it. This is the path to meeting our goals for the presentation.
Presentation Tips For People Who Identify as Introverts
But, how do we connect with a group if we feel more comfortable one on one? What if the idea of needing to “think on our feet” to answer questions makes us sweat? As someone who identifies as an introvert, I can relate. I have also met lots of other people who identify as introverts who have shared similar challenges with me.
Below are seven presentation tips to help dial up our strengths as introverts and overcome challenges. Try one or more to see if they help you in your next presentation.
Tip 1. Write Down Potential Questions and Objections
Prepare in advance by thinking through your topic and writing down what questions you think people will have. Similarly, write down what challenges might come up. This can help in two ways. First, the act of writing these down and seeing questions and objections on paper can help make us less nervous than when they are swirling around in our heads. Second, thinking through these in advance can help us think through the best way to respond so we feel confident in the moment.
Tip 2. Ask Good Questions
Questions can be a powerful tool in many speaking opportunities. Ask appropriate questions that encourage your audience to participate in the discussion. For example, if you are providing a project update in a meeting on new technology you are implementing, you could consider opening it up by asking for people to share some of the pain points they experienced with the current version. Having the audience participate keeps them engaged in your topic.
Tip 3. Listen to the Answers
Many people who identify as introverts have a superpower in listening to what people say. This can be incredibly powerful during presentations because it helps you see if your audience is confused on a point. It also helps you tailor your content to what your audience is thinking so you can make stronger connections and meet your business objectives.
One easy way of illustrating this is if you have an opportunity to speak to a group to educate them about a particular skill or hobby you have. It might be helpful to ask early on how many people in the audience are already familiar with the topic. This helps you know how much knowledge your audience already has so you can spend more or less time on the basics.
Tip 4. Block Time on Your Calendar
Consider blocking time on your calendar before your presentation if it would help you feel more prepared going in. You can use the time to look through your notes or visualize. I have also worked with people who like to take a few minutes before an event starts to just close eyes and do some deep breathing to calm down.
Similarly, block time on your calendar after the presentation if you think you might be drained and will need some time to recharge.
Tip 5. Ask for What You Need
Depending on the situation where we are presenting, we may have some options and we can ask the person in charge for our preferences so we feel comfortable. For example, do you like to go first on an agenda? If so, ask the meeting organizer if that is possible. Do you hate using a remote to advance slides? Ask if someone can do it for you when you give them a signal you work out in advance. Does it help if you see a space in advance? If so, ask if you can stop by the day before to check it out.
Tip 6. Show Up Early
For anyone who feels a bit overwhelmed in a larger group, it can also be helpful to show up to an event early so you are one of the first few people in the space. As the room fills up around you, it might be less overwhelming than walking into a crowded room. (I have used this trick when presenting virtually as well to be one of the first people in the online meeting.)
Or, if you will present partway through a longer meeting and tend to feel overwhelmed walking into a situation already in progress, see if you can show up a little early to get comfortable in the space and group before it is your turn to present.
Tip 7. Visualize Your Success
Visualization can be an effective way to practice for an upcoming presentation. When we visualize, we close our eyes and imagine we are giving our presentation in the actual space and in front of the audience. We might imagine receiving a question or two and responding to them. We might also imagine potential challenges – like slides not displaying, a video not playing, or our samples not arriving in time – and how we would handle it.
This dress rehearsal in our minds can help many people feel more comfortable and confident when the actual day arrives because it will feel like they have done it many times already and are prepared for different scenarios.
Take Action
Which of these presentation tips resonate with you? Pick one or two to try out the next time you present and see how it goes or what other ideas it sparks for you.
Remember there is no finish line – becoming more comfortable when presenting is something we improve over time. Pick a few things to focus on to start. As you become more comfortable with those, add in new areas. The power to be an effective public speaker is completely possible if you commit to practicing and making small improvements with each opportunity.
Looking for more?
Check out our quick class on Skillshare — Presentation Tips for Introverts: Unleash Your Superpowers — for more tips and techniques so you feel confident stepping into your next speaking opportunity.
Also, check out a few of our related articles with presentation tips:
