Speaking can be difficult for many people, including introverts. Over the past year, I spoke to thirty introverted leaders from home and abroad about their experiences, including those with public speaking. Below I share some of those experiences.

Introversion and fear of public speaking are often linked together. Both introverts and people with public anxiety do not like to come to the fore, but they each have their own reason for this. Where for someone with fear of public speaking it is mainly about shame, with an introvert it has to do with the way his brain works. An introvert is more sensitive to external stimuli than an extrovert, so he prefers not to be the center of attention.

However, this does not mean that an introvert cannot be a good speaker, quite the contrary. And there are countless examples of this. Think of Barack Obama, for example, or Arianna Huffington. Both introverted, but certainly able to deliver a beautiful speech.

That was also my experience during the conversations I had with thirty introverted leaders from all over the world over the past year. Those conversations were part of the writing process of my first book, Introverted Leadership. I asked the leaders about their experiences and they varied widely. Yet many of them admitted that public speaking asked a lot of them. 

Own way

I think Joseph Kessels, founder of consultancy firm Kessels en Smit, is a good example of this. He received extensive training in public speaking and therefore came up with his own way of doing it. “I've forced myself to do that in the past forty years. I have also created my own way of doing it, by using music and film fragments and unorthodox objects. But it still means that if I have to give an introduction to a conference, I have to make a lot of effort to get out of bed in the morning. Why am I doing this to myself ?! It even made me sleep badly in the past. ”

For Marjolein Niels, study leader of the Dutch National Opera Academy (part of the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague), standing on stage was her profession for years. She started her career as an opera singer. “It was an outlet for me. The embarrassment I sometimes felt among classmates was completely gone on stage. I noticed this for the first time during the high school musical. I went to a music theater school where I could let off steam throughout my adolescence. This is where the idea arose to make singing and acting my profession. More or less by accident I ended up with a classical singing teacher. She stimulated me to go for opera. ”

Her introversion sometimes got in the way of her during that training. “That has been difficult. The spontaneity that I experienced on stage as a child suddenly took on a completely different meaning. I kept going by just studying a lot and getting better vocally. That discipline was certainly my strength. But showing myself on that stage was always a difficult aspect. ”

Personal contact

The American Chad Balcom, regional director at Russell Investments would prefer to avoid presentations overall. “I spend a lot of time writing notes, preparing, practicing. I still think it's pretty scary. But if I just pull back and focus on a few things, it will work. Once I've done the preparation and I'm there, I connect with certain people to make it more personal. As if I'm only having a conversation with that person. That has made it a lot easier. But I've also been so nervous that I could barely finish the presentation. It's probably better to have a few other people on stage. It's not that I don't know what I'm talking about. But it's just not the environment in which I feel safe.”

For Heather Andrews, profit center manager in Canada, her greatest dream is to be on stage as a concert pianist, but her stage fright is still holding her back. “I get that when I play. I already had that when I was little, although I can play quite well. I get fear of failure when the group of people is too large. If the group consists of only a few people, and they could be complete strangers, then that doesn't bother me. But as the room fills up, I start to sweat more and more. That's why I'm not going for a career on the podium. ”

Mercedes Bareiro, head of personal banking at a bank in Paraguay, had a bad experience as a child that made her reluctant to speak in public. “We have a poem that goes with our flag and the best student can recite it in public. They asked me when I was only 9 years old. I didn't want to, but the teacher helped me. She said: 'Do you know it by heart?' Yes, I knew it by heart, because it was a poem. But I didn't want them to look at me. 'Don't look at anyone, look up, look aside', the teacher said. Since then I have tried to avoid public speaking. And if I couldn't avoid it, I looked up. ”

Martin, partner at a management consultancy company from Belgium, does not think speaking is such a problem in itself. Above all, he struggles with talking spontaneously. “I never found it a problem to tell a substantive story, but if there was a dinner where I was asked to tell a few nice things I thought that was really terrible. I would rather give a complicated presentation about the content than just spontaneously say a few nice things to welcome people. I find that much more complicated. ”

Tips for introverted speakers

Are you an introvert and will you be speaking in public soon? A few tips.

  • The success of an introverted speaker stands or falls with good preparation. If you know what you want to say and have practiced it a number of times, you will be less likely to face surprises. So make sure you prepare well.
  • The many stimuli of public speaking cost an introvert a lot of energy. So make sure you start your presentation well rested and give yourself the space to recharge after the presentation. 
  • Stay true to yourself as an introvert. If your natural style is calm and thoughtful, don't force yourself to be spontaneous. Eventually, your audience will feel that that's not real. Authenticity is always stronger.
  • Do you find yourself being critical of yourself while speaking? Telling yourself that your speaking pace is not good, or that they will laugh at you? Write down these kinds of statements and then read them aloud, preferably before your presentation. Only when you say this will you realize how strict you can be with yourself at times and how limiting these thoughts can be. If you are not comfortable with this yourself, a coach can certainly help you.

Want to read more interviews with introverted leaders? You can find them in my book Introverted Leadership.