never assume.

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random nice people i’ve never met – ( photo courtesy of Wright Labs)

recently my friend roy, who is a fellow introvert, posted this:

‘as an INTROVERT, I can survive a lot..

but ‘let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves,’

is where I draw the line.’

I so get this. 

while I love people, love being around them, and frequently talk to strangers, I much prefer small groups and having real conversations with one or two people rather than big party small talk, get nervous when I know I’m going to be called on, or when public speaking. (if I’m one on one with someone, I can talk for hours, much to their dismay.) when in a big group setting I hang out for a while, find a way to slip out before long using my Irish goodbye technique, and head home to relax and recharge.

another friend who also gets this, a very accomplished woman, was once in this situation and when it was her turn to introduce herself and share one thing, she was so nervous that she blurted out the only thing that came to mind and said, ‘my name is T, and I play with the squirrels in our backyard.’ the room was silent.

‘never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.’

-author unknown

 

 

 


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33 responses »

  1. When I was an EMT in London I became a union organiser, and that meant speaking to large gatherings of staff, and at union conferences. Overnight, I went from chatting to friends around a dinner table, to addressing meetings of up to 300 people, some of whom would be heckling me as I tried to make my points. I was also interviewed by London TV news reporters, knowing I would be seen and judged by hundreds of thousands of viewers. It was in many ways the best way to face that, the equivalent of being thrown in at the deep end to learn how to swim. Best wishes, Pete.

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  2. grew up lacking confidence in myself so hated being put on the spot. as an adult I found topics I was passionate about and started teaching. when something is meaningful you often feel more capable.

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