Industry Magazine Desert Jet Oasis Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 18

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking;
who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion who favor working on their own over working in
teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great
contributions to society.
In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in
doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the 20th century and explores how deeply
it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-
octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly
taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories
of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important,
how they see themselves.
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Keep A Video Diary Or Video Blog.
I always enjoy my friend Gretchen
Rubin’s video posts on her Happiness
Project blog. You should also look
at Susan Steele of The Confident
Introvert doing her first video blog,
which is inspired by my Year of
Speaking Dangerously project!
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Know Your Strengths And
Weaknesses As A Speaker And
Accentuate The Positive.
If you have a great sense of
humor, use it. If you’re not a natural
cut-up, don’t try to be. Instead,
focus on what you do best. Do
you have a great story to tell? An
interesting idea your audience
hasn’t considered? Information
they need to hear? Frame your
speech around your message—and
around who you are as a person.
Thoughtful and thought-provoking
is every bit as powerful as dynamic
and entertaining.
At The Same Time, Public
Speaking Is A Performance, And
That’s A Good Thing, Even If
You’re Not A Natural Actor.
Have you ever wondered why
people enjoy costume parties? It’s
because they feel liberated when
interacting from behind a mask,
from within a role. Dressing up as
Cinderella or Don Draper removes
inhibitions as effectively as a glass
of wine. Think of your onstage
persona the same way.