INTJ & Public Talking

[TheFreeThinker]

How other INTJs are in public talking or presentations? Uncomfortable, terrified, confused, OK or good? Please share your experience in this area whatever it is?

I have rarely felt comfortable in presentations. People always tell me I will get better as I do more of them but it seems this method does not work for me. Though I have given many presentations and public speeches before but I always wait for them to end. I think my biggest fear in life is public talking and not being able to get rid of it is painful sometimes. Can anyone tell me what could be the reason behind this fear? I don’t think I’m shy. My own understanding is: I’m not good in presentations because as an INTJ I explain my ideas in few lines or in form of a system but in presentations I’m expected to talk in detail which I’m not able to do naturally.

Apologies, if I made writing mistakes. English is not my native language :). Being a foreigner INTJ (in this case in US) makes some of the things harder but that’s another topic :P.

[bikerscars]

public speaking/presentations are the worst...

i hate it

[aude]

You could not get me infront of podium if you gave a billion dollars. Even in school i was the same way, i had to get the teacher to allow me to present my work just in front of them.

[StJimmy]

for me public speaking was something i really had to work on. i think my primary fear is making myself look dumb; a little planning and organization goes a long way to alleviate this.

here are some pointers, some are my own, some come directly from my dad who helped me get over my fear:

1) get their attention immediately. sometimes asking a question right off the bat is a good way to do this.
2) don't speak in a monotone. vary the pace of your speech and don't be afraid to use "dramatic pauses."
3) use body language to reinforce what you're saying
4) be sure to actually look at your audience. make eye contact but don't focus too much attention on any one person or group of people.
5) don't try to convey too many concepts at once. only have four or five main points at most, and include a brief overview in your opening statements.
6) use visual aids if possible
7) speak loudly enough to be heard but don't yell (be careful with microphones too, it's best to test them beforehand)
8) putting things in terms of personal experience can be helpful
9) don't be afraid to try being funny (this is something i had to really work on, the older i get the more i realize how different my sense of humor is from most people)
10) wrap things up concisely, and try to give people something that makes them think. they will remember what you said in your closing statement better than they will anything else.

[Firelie]

If it's just me up there speaking, I'd probably obsess about it for days and then get up there and blurt out all of my information way too fast.

If I'm with a group, I don't mind all that much, though I still dont like it.

If I have a Powerpoint that I'm showing as I'm speaking, I'm pretty cool with the entire thing since people are watching the screen and just listening to me.

[Rei]

Your English is not bad at all. Though considering you are an INTJ, I don't think saying "don't be so hard on yourself" would work. ;)

My take on it is that...

it comes from the fact that INTJ's generally think with a different set of 'rules' than other types. So we have a hard time conveying their ideas in a way others can understand.
Every time I must make a presentation, I worry about how clear my presentation is.

In addition to that, INTJ's aren't people who 'share' very much. It makes me very anxious when I have to tell people what I think, and even worse when there's so many people just watching your every move.


It's true that the more preparation you do, and the better you know your topic, the better the presentation turns out. Though that doesn't mean I'll ever feel okay about public speaking.

[Apococlock]

For lack of better words, I'm a freak at it, and it's something that's always come natural to me.

It can be intimidating at first though, and if you let the fear which you accumulate before hand get the better of you, it will overtake you and mess you up. I know, it's happened to me twice.


I find that over thinking things is something that personally makes me crash and burn. If you try to calculate every little detail (which is almost natural for an INTJ) you will undoubtedly miss something in your presentation, or even worse seem like a robot. There are a whole plethora of different variables that can make you go awry.

Personally I've gotten to the point where I write a list of things down (for a speech) and memorize all of the items on the list. Each item is a major subject in which needs to be implemented into the speech in order for me to meet the criteria. So rather than memorizing thousands of words at the risk of sounding robotic and planned out, I've memorized about twelve that I can do whatever I want with. Now I understand not everyone can do this, you have to have a natural element of improvisation within your own toolbox.

This way I can usually pull off a lot of humor (if the situation allows) and do a very good job. Hope any of that can help for you...

Oh, and I guess the first time I really excelled at giving presentations was in my senior year, where I memorized and acted out the first Agent Smith monologue from the Matrix. It was a good start >.>

[StJimmy]

ahh yes i never just "read a speech," i tried that a couple of times and it didn't work very well for me. much better if i have to improvise most of it to fit the situation, otherwise, yeah i sound like a robot.

[Tarrick]

I was "forced" to do it once. We were having a big debate in Gov't Class, and at the last minute, they asked who was giving the closing argument. Naturally I got picked. However, once I got going it wasn't very bad. It was even a little fun. :suspicious:

[deicruxified]

something i despise... ugh...

[Zard Lucifer]

for me public speaking was something i really had to work on. *i think my primary fear is making myself look dumb; a little planning and organization goes a long way to alleviate this.

here are some pointers, some are my own, some come directly from my dad who helped me get over my fear:

1) get their attention immediately. *sometimes asking a question right off the bat is a good way to do this.
2) don't speak in a monotone. *vary the pace of your speech and don't be afraid to use "dramatic pauses."
3) use body language to reinforce what you're saying
4) be sure to actually look at your audience. *make eye contact but don't focus too much attention on any one person or group of people.
5) don't try to convey too many concepts at once. *only have four or five main points at most, and include a brief overview in your opening statements.
6) use visual aids if possible
7) speak loudly enough to be heard but don't yell (be careful with microphones too, it's best to test them beforehand)
8) putting things in terms of personal experience can be helpful
9) don't be afraid to try being funny (this is something i had to really work on, the older i get the more i realize how different my sense of humor is from most people)
10) wrap things up concisely, and try to give people something that makes them think. *they will remember what you said in your closing statement better than they will anything else.

N00bie coming through.

I agree with St.Jimmy, I've highlighted some of his pointer's I usually 'abuse.'
It's not so bad once you get the hang of it. But it does take quite some practice.

The biggest problem I had concerning this was getting the message accross. To INTJs difficult ideas/concepts may be understood as they are. But to other people it might sound a like a new language.
So I try to picture myself explaining or presenting to primary or secondary school students.
It may sound stupid, but so far it's worked well for me.

Also, at first I tend to get nervous, but I keep reminding myself that the people I'm going to be facing are human. The same species as I am. They also experience what I experience, fear, anxiety, happiness, etc. They bleed the same way I do.
So why should I be nervous?
Especially if I came prepared for the event. With all the preparation I've done, I don't think anyone can tell me that what I'm doing makes no sense or improper.

[Zard Lucifer]

If all INTJs were confident in voicing out their ideas, I believe that the world would be a better place.

[Doppelbock]

Absolutely hate it, always have and always will.

In high school, I was always so nervous that my hands would shake very noticeably (voice too). I got better at it through work via sheer repetition, but now I get a very dry throat (presumably from being nervous?) and I start to cough almost uncontrollably. I have to suck down a couple cough drops before I go on or I'll end up having a coughing fit.

DB

[Psyborg]

To me, that's what drama class was good for. I never would have survived a public speaking class, but drama I could do. In fact I found it much easier not to be myself when public speaking.

[INTJohn]

Public speaking does not come "naturally" to most persons and is especially an aversion to most seclusive type INTJ's..........

Intj's generally do what they know........so if public speaking is something that you see of value down the road (and if you want to keep all options & contingencies available in Life), as an INTJ you will first need to learn it before you will do it.

Therefore - get some public speaking boox, read & study them - learn from public speakers, also there are persons who teach public speaking (they coach politicians, etc). Then do waht INTJ's do best - apply the theories and get experience.

Its like "pre season" sports: First speak to 2 or 3 persons; then 7 or 8; then 12 to 15 and so on......'till someday you will slam thru an entire audtorium and the world may be stunned!!!!!!!!!!! as you gaze upon your loyal subjects.

INTJohn

[hopscotch]

I've always felt inadequate in front of a crowd but according to my peers, my public speaking skills have substantially improved in the past year. I have a convincing delivery because I can force a passion for whatever I'm presenting.

I think the key isn't to practice continually, which is contrary to what most people are taught. The more you practice, the more likely you are to be bothered when you make a mistake (which inevitably will happen, even to seasoned pros). If I can't remember exactly what I was supposed to say, there's a better chance that I can ad lib and move on without obsessing over my error. That said, it's much easier to present something you've written, edited and read at least once. I find this is the only preparation I need.

There are some other basic tips, like making sure your notes pages are numbered and in order, and using a larger typeface with extra spacing between lines, which make presentations run more smoothly.

[rwyatt365]

Standing up in front of a group with all eyes fixed on you, knowing that all of those people expect something from you can be intimidating to anyone. Our "I" causes us to naturally shrink from that situation – wanting instead to be in the audience (preferably in the back) than in front of it. One thing to do to quell that tendency is the practice. As INTJohn suggests, start with small audiences and work your way up to larger ones. You ma never get rid of the "butterflies" but hopefully you can get comfortable enough to keep them under control.

Personally, I am not afraid of getting in front of an audience to speak, it's not my most favorite thing to do and I don’t seek out the stage but I'm comfortable enough once there. Like several others have said I don’t practice doing presentation at all. To me, my practice is in the preparation of the materials itself. By the time I've nit-picked the speech or rearranged the slideshow (for the umpteenth time) I know what I'm going to say completely.

One tip that I would add (and a pet peeve of mine) is don’t read your speech to the audience (or seem to be reading it), deliver the lines naturally and fluidly. If you are doing a Powerpoint, don't read the slides verbatim! Talk to the content of the slides, embellish what is in the slides – your slides should be highlights of what you are saying not the exact content of your dialogue.

[thegnat]

I'm decent at it.

I took a public speaking class once - my main problem with eye contact - I think I focused on it too much or something - The prof always said I would look to a corner of the ceiling. And that my eyes would look unnaturally open or something. Like I'd open them a little too much instead of it being natural.

Speaking(no pun intended) of that class when we had to speak in front of one person, get video taped, watch ourselves and then analyze how we did - I warned the person that I'm my own worst critic. I of course had a lot more negatives than positives. He was like, "Did you see anything positive?" after I listed off a few things I thought I didn't do well on... I also think I do worse in front of one person. Because that person in that small space is looking at YOU and only YOU. Listening to YOU and everything. In big groups people can be sleeping, not paying attention, not watching you particularly, etc...

I've never loved it but never hated it. I spoke at my grandpa's funeral and people told me I did well, though they could have been being nice perhaps.

And I agree with people here - don't sound like a robot or read your power point! That annoys me too. If you're going to read out your power point verbatim, you might as well not even speak, people can read. Unless you have blind people in the audience.

And I also rarely practice my speeches. I think they come out more naturally.

[iamnotspock]

I am shockingly good at it. This always pisses off the E in the group, who expects the quiet geek to be a big **failure** on stage. They secretly hate seeing you succeed. E's think their comfort with a crowd should make them great on stage. WRONG!

I's are the best presenters b/c they have the nervous intensity, they will be driven to know what their message is before they ever get in the spotlight, and they do not take their audience for granted. Plus, the audience is not a group of people that E's can manage; it is a single beast that you deal with like one person, which I's are better at, and IN's are best at, since they understnd people.

That said, I get nervous as hell. So I need extreme measures to calm the nerves. Which we won't get into here. But I've also done standup comedy, and I can tell you that some of the best are extremely introverted in person. On stage, it's really a whole different persona. So once you can let yourself go, you can be anybody, and it's really fun. But it takes practice.

[OneBadMother]

You know, I think you're right. :o I have an INTJ and an INFP friend, and both of them are amazingly good at public speaking. They can figure out what it is that'll actually catch the audience's attention and stand out from the crowd of boring speeches as a result. And whenever I do well in speeches I look at the audience as just a big mass rather than individual people.

My INTJ friend once ran for class president because nobody liked the other guy. He actually rehearsed his speech so he would go up to the podium with a blank "page of notes", rip it up, then proceed to talk normally. The audience loved it.

[Lumbering Jack]

I'm not so good at addressing people in my peer or work group.
Kids however, I just love talking to big groups of kids, especially reading and telling stories to them.
Maybe it's the fact that I don't have to be me in front of people like that. Instead, I can adopt a persona rather than putting myself out there.
As for my peers, I guess it's the issue of looking stupid.
In fact, two times in school I was forced to talk to the whole class -- once in a drama class and another in a speech class -- and both times, I worked out things well in advance so that I'd have the sympathy of the whole group.
In drama, I played up all semester that I had stage fright (which I didn't, I was just shy!). Then when the big day came up, I started into my monologue, wavered a few times, and then the teacher whispered something to one of the girls in the class. The girl then came up and sat beside me to "calm me." By the time I was done with the story, all of the girls in the class were sitting up there with me.
Personally, I thought this was monumentally stupid on their part, but I could tell it got me some sympathy points, so I went with it.
Then in college, I was in speech class and pretended to be incredibly sick during my presentation. Just acting like I had a fever and light-headed. My teacher asked if I wanted to do this another day, I said no. As I progressed, I stopped a few times, gathered my thoughts, tried to look even sicker and then soldiered on. By the time I was finished, I got a round of applause and oodles of sympathy. One friend of mine, who wasn't in on the deception, even said he was about to jump up and grab me to keep me steady.
Both of these times, it helped me to pretend to be something I was not. I put on a performance rather than set my real self up there for display. That's how I do it.
Sure, it's a bit devious, but it works.

[mind_wander]

for me public speaking was something i really had to work on. *i think my primary fear is making myself look dumb; a little planning and organization goes a long way to alleviate this.

here are some pointers, some are my own, some come directly from my dad who helped me get over my fear:

1) get their attention immediately. *sometimes asking a question right off the bat is a good way to do this.
2) don't speak in a monotone. *vary the pace of your speech and don't be afraid to use "dramatic pauses."
3) use body language to reinforce what you're saying
4) be sure to actually look at your audience. *make eye contact but don't focus too much attention on any one person or group of people.
5) don't try to convey too many concepts at once. *only have four or five main points at most, and include a brief overview in your opening statements.
6) use visual aids if possible
7) speak loudly enough to be heard but don't yell (be careful with microphones too, it's best to test them beforehand)
8) putting things in terms of personal experience can be helpful
9) don't be afraid to try being funny (this is something i had to really work on, the older i get the more i realize how different my sense of humor is from most people)
10) wrap things up concisely, and try to give people something that makes them think. *they will remember what you said in your closing statement better than they will anything else.
I hate standing in front of people, yeah the INTJ personality trait kicking it, also monotone- so no one can hear me[alot of people commented speak more louder]. But, this listed advice is great. There is one thing, we all INTJ's missed; we are the manipulators, try to become the audience and know what they are thinking. By looking at the audience you can see, if they are bored or not. INTJ natural trait is facts, facts, facts, oh yeah more facts. I don't think anyone in here disagreed on this, but in the presentations I've done would crash/burn on this area. Is this a positive or a negative? Not necessarily, your facts helps backup on what your talking about, so no one can tell its Bull$hit! If no facts are backed up, the audience know your talking the talk and not walking the walk. So the other INTJ's commenters thinks this area can be your crash/burn; don't worry about it. When they got questions, you got the answer. I hope this helps you :)

Here is a good question. Do you feel more comfortable when your presenting with you at least 2x INTJ , INTJ/ENTJ, ENTP/INTJ?

[Evalis]

Public speaking is something I excel at. The only times I have been uncomfortable on stage is when I am forced to discuss a topic that I really had no interest in - this typically fell under the category of 'class-assigned' projects that have arbitrary timers, discussion lengths.. and no one really wants to hear what you have to say..

Anyhoo, there are two tricks that I would use to resolve this:

1. If for any reason I feel that I am nervous, I ask myself why.. nearly 100% of the time it is either because I feel I may have missed something, the timing is off, or that I do not feel I have everything memorized.. so I then go back and talk to myself with cue cards (for timing) and check the clock. Then without cue cards, and check the clock. I'll go over the 'cue' I need to remember a topic and it's related information together, and just slip the cards on the chalkboard, desk, or chair nearby, and shuffle through them when switching slides.

2. I assume everyone is a complete and total moron that understands nothing of the topic I am about to address, and most certainly wouldn't know (or even care for that matter) if I missed two to three lines, or even an entire topic of the presentation. Even if they did care, and were able to notice.. they will have the option to prompt my memory during the questions/discussion phase.

Fun. - and yeah.. the moron part is very important.
You are SUPERIOR! RAWR!

[mind_wander]

The resolve no.1, I had felt that before. Not a very good feeling, pretty soon I have to make a long presentation.

Luckily, in creating your own group; there is a choice of what parts do you want. When I started this strategic management group; I rather give others choices based on strengths and weaknesses. Who really like to do something they don't want seriously? No one, but I like facts, so I more or less get into the history sections and the main goals of the project. As for details, I often skip because it bores me. However, in this 4 member group: there is a 50/50 split of who see the big picture and who see the small details. So when I give out instructions, for someone like to see small details would tend to ask questions more. As for someone who see the big picture would just tend to do the main objective. I am not that shallow, so I would back track to step 1 and help others out, incase their are into small details.

Has anyone been in this situation? before the presentation process.

[HackerX]

I'm never 100% comfortable with standing up there, but I know I'm good at actually delivering the speech etc, which does help me out.

I tend to have a don't prepare anything and make as much up on the spot as possible kind of attitude, which you might think would cause problems. But I find that I tend to live off the stress of thinking on the spot and the arguments become a lot more convincing when I'm pulling them out of my ass, so to speak. As long as I have to facts sorted before hand of course, nothing worse than being wrong.

[Quincunx]

Hm, I must by an atypical INTJ. I prefer public speaking to all other types of communication (excepting telepathy, of course.) Public speaking was never difficult for me, because people are at a safe distance, and I don't really care if they judge me or think that I am doing badly. On the contrary, when i am in personal, face-to-face contact with other homo sapiens, I must work much harder to avoid lashing out, and performing various other acts of INTJ-ness.

[mind_wander]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Its like looking at your audience; what you say might spring a thought to them both positively and negatively. Got to have your professional game face on, if you don't make the presentation is a crash/burn.

[snoogit]

Public speaking was never a problem for me. I prefer it over personal communication. I took a public speaking course in college, and it was perhaps the easiest course I was in. I learned to appreciate the "rules" of public speaking much more then the speaking part

Rule 1. Make eye contact, but don't stare at a subject, staring makes you look creepy.
Rule 2. Prepare for your speech in advance (In reality however, I improvised every speech I gave, and still ended up with an A.)

and so on.

When I was given that structure I worked with it, and tried to make it fit my own abilities. In the end, even a public discussion on how to program a CSS style sheet was something I could convey as being interesting to the audience.

[mind_wander]

I always wondered about INTJ, when presenting. What is your tone of voice? Mine is usually monotoned with a very low voice. How about other people.

[Vayate]

I can do public speaking very well, though I don't care to do so. Basically I get in front of people, and after a few sentences my brain just shuts off, I dump information and sometimes pace nervously, then get down. Pretty painless.

[Elizabeth9999]

Oh my god... i hate doing public speaking... i wish i were good at it as then i would be able to show off a bit more, but it's just ridiculous how bad i am at it. i get exceedingly nervous and attempt to avoid public speaking at all costs. in general i dislike being the center of attention in a group of people and even when interacting one-on-one i like an even give-and-take.

i admire those who are good at public speaking though -- unless they put on too much of an act and seem to enjoy it too much, in which i case i just think they are a douchebag.

maybe the variability in public speaking affinity amongst intjs is our "i"preference... whenever i have taken an mbti test my "i" preference has always come out very strong and is the strongest of my preferences.

[mind_wander]

Oh my god... i hate doing public speaking... i wish i were good at it as then i would be able to show off a bit more, but it's just ridiculous how bad i am at it. i get exceedingly nervous and attempt to avoid public speaking at all costs. in general i dislike being the center of attention in a group of people and even when interacting one-on-one i like an even give-and-take.

i admire those who are good at public speaking though -- unless they put on too much of an act and seem to enjoy it too much, in which i case i just think they are a douchebag.

maybe the variability in public speaking affinity amongst intjs is our "i"preference... whenever i have taken an mbti test my "i" preference has always come out very strong and is the strongest of my preferences.

When you were standing there. What's your tone of voice? Mine varies from a low tone squeeky mouse-radio dj.

[Chainsaw Dundee]

Im fairly good at it. It helps if you rehearse a bit, and take some valium beforehand. ;)

Though when I start to mess up, or a heckler gets to me, I get more agitated than dejected.

All in all, I'd rather play a guitar solo in front of a 10,000 people than try and give a press conference to a 100.

[anara]

i savor public speaking! i am a natural entertainer when the expectations are low. give me high and unrealistic expectations (comic stand up as in expecting me to actually entertain you, not just letting me do it of my own accord, meeting snooty people that expect me to be fake and snooty myself, etc) and i will sabotage my presentation.

[mind_wander]

Hmm, interesting thoughts. I appreciate your inputs; all in all I think in our minds we are great entertainers. Got a good sense of humor, no matter what hits you. In my first presentation I got hit with professor sarcasitic jokes to see if you ticked or not, but I handled it well, not too sure about my team members [more like pissed off]. But, I managed to get a good great, as a group.

[anara]

sarcasm is the weak man's humor. kind of like splenda.

[mind_wander]

I know, well apparently, my professor is an INTP, so kinda have to take it like a man :)

[Santana28]

Absolutely completely TERRIFIED.

For all my life up until the last two years or so, i had problems talking to anyone i wasn't 100% comfortable with in a private setting.

My current gig cured me of this however. I get to wear a uniform, and people typically stay out of my way unless they need my help with something.... so that makes it much easier. And the people i DO have to approach are usually sh*thead idiots who are doing something they shouldn't be doing and need some sense smacked into them.

I've always had problems talking to my superiors at work... this job has helped alot in that area as well since most of the people here get promoted within a year or two and no one sticks around very long at all, so noone really has time to get that "supervisor" mentality.

I still have to work myself up to certain types of public speaking, and i still feel butterflies - but i'm usually able to plow right through it and do much, much better than i used to.

I would have never developed this ability had i not thrown myself into a situation which required it and would result in a hard consequence for failure to do so.

[Kevin]

I'm really curious about ages of everyone here. *I would imagine as time goes on - people of all personalities should get to know themselves better, and can work on improving any shortcomings they see in themselves. *The more time around - the better understanding they have? *

Looking back at school, I remember lots of times I had to give presentations before the class. *Was there really that many? *Or are they memorable because they were so traumatic and still stand out? *

I can't begin to say how awful I found public speaking. *If I had the notice - i would worry for days. *So much stress probably took years off my life.


The first time I remember being somewhat comfortable in front of a group, was when I was called upon by my work the day before, to do a training presentation before about 50 people coming in from across the country. *With that little notice, I stayed up the entire night, taught myself PowerPoint, and came up with a slideshow that I amazed myself with, and was 100 times more interesting than people who had months to prepare. *As was stated previously - I used the slideshow to get across my main points, and basically just used my knowledge on the topic to speak on everything else I could think of around those points. *I injected some humor, and it was a hit. * :thumbsup:

I think i felt comfortable because I was really familiar with the material, and people can see if you truly understand what you're talking about. *As was also mentioned before - feeling passionate about a topic will come across to the audience and it's contagious (to a point - those still awake in the crowd will notice). *Your excitement will make you a better presenter.


There was a video I once saw on a very popular public speaker. *He said after thousands of presentations (from two people to hundreds), he would still get nervous every single time he went out on stage. *It's a natural response for the adrenaline to get flowing, and a really popular trick is to do a bit of cardio work right beforehand (save time to catch your breath though). *Get rid of some of that adrenaline so it doesn't overwhelm you (this particular speaker would do a few hallway-sprints, and for my example above - I stayed up all night and the adrenaline was probably the only thing keeping me conscious). *Focus any nervous energy left on giving a great speech.

There are lots of tricks. *I'm sure Google can turn up a bunch. *You can occassionally get some really good points from all those stupid videos out there as well.


BTW, I seem to have turned 30 lately. *On my way to learning more about myself and "my kind". * :P

[mind_wander]

Hi Kevin,

I'm 23 and today I'm presentating, sux. But, I got a great team and I trust them. We all have diverse minds there some minor conflicts here, afterall we are diverse means more input.

After reading your post, in my English course, my professor made me felt alittle more comfortable in public speaking. His approach was try to get to know your fellow classmates first then moved on the next. Hey, as an INTJ, we love that; you reveal yourself then I comment. One day, there was a final project, he told us, "When you present there is an option to sit down." Guess, what I did? Did the complete opposite, in thinking logically, man I am about to graduate. Ok, face your fear in public speaking and do your best job at it. I did, after I was done with it, "Got great comments, good questions, more questions." Finally, something positive sending toward my direction. This is kinda give me that spark to continue practicing on my public speaking. Also, tweaking the presentation to get people's attention, add some humor, oddness, give it from face value. Know the things not to do in a presentation, like when presentation, "Do not make it so boring because they rather choose to read their textbooks than listening to you."

Thats all I got to say. Thanx, for sharing Kevin.

[curse10]

I'm not entirely sure being good at or not disliking public speaking can be attributed to personality type. I've read that public speaking is the a-number-one fear among most Americans. Personally, I'm rather good at it. I've never had issues- with one exception. if you put my instrument in my hand and shoved me on stage by myself I'd freak. It was awful. And one of the many reasons I'm no longer a professional musician.

[maai]

I just look at "public speaking" as another thing to master.

A good friend (who spoke weekly to large groups of 200-300) told me that just before he goes onstage he visualizes the audience as being naked. This gives him a large smile as he enters. Then, if he loses his train of thought he will say things like "I know I left that thought here somewhere" and look thru his pants pockets. Humor and a way of buying time.
Hecklers he doesn't argue with, he may even invite them onstage. Works with most people except anarchists.

[childofforest]

I always wondered about INTJ, when presenting. What is your tone of voice? Mine is usually monotoned with a very low voice. How about other people.

High tone, but squeaky and trembling.
I want to feel confident when presenting, but end up with not caring whether people understand my presentation or not. I just become totally helpless when I get nervous in front of many people.

[Ijz]

In highschool I once had a complete blackout during a presentation. I was so nervous that I literally could not produce and sound (except from farting :-X ). Afterwards I could only remember vaguely what had happened...

Today I'm actually not too bad at presentations and don't mind giving them at all. It's mostly technical presentations about the work I've done. Sometimes I'm a little bit of a show-off and therefore a presentation can be a great medium to show-off your own work. When afterwards people commend you for it or applause it can definetely give some satisfaction.

I like to keep the number of static powerpoint slides to a minimum and give as much "live" demonstration as possible. When preparing I only memorize which topics I want to address. I don't memorize any lines literally but instead trust myself that I'm sufficiently knowledgeable. Before I start I usually act a little bit silly (like being clumsy) in order to loosen up the atmosphere. And then the show starts... ;D

[mind_wander]

In highschool I once had a complete blackout during a presentation. I was so nervous that I literally could not produce and sound (except from farting :-X ). Afterwards I could only remember vaguely what had happened...

I like to keep the number of static powerpoint slides to a minimum and give as much "live" demonstration as possible. When preparing I only memorize which topics I want to address. I don't memorize any lines literally but instead trust myself that I'm sufficiently knowledgeable. Before I start I usually act a little bit silly (like being clumsy) in order to loosen up the atmosphere. And then the show starts... *;D
The first line, is so funny. Well at least you presented something...Unpleasant. LOL
As for the other, yeah I kinda do the same thing, but still read the powerpoints either on a cue card/paper, still trust my instincts of being knowledge and stop being dumb. Try to own the stage, be self-confident. Thats why people as you the Q/A, after the presentation. For those areas, you were great at thats when you answer them, as for the one's you are unsure, thats what team members are for.

[jtskinner]

I am very shy in public and person-to-person, and I am very introverted. When I talk I sound like an idiot, I talk through my nose and cannot pronounce things well. I have Asperger's Syndrome too so it is very very hard. I'd rather let other people do the talking, people who do a lot of public speaking seem to like the sound of their own voice anyways.

[Tsuru]

I don't enjoy speaking but I don't fret about it if it needs to be done.


If it's something that freaks you out, it helps a *lot* to observe yourself and others when you're watching someone else do public speaking. You aren't scrutinizing them for slight stammers or whether they're blushing or if they have an awkward pause or whatever. You're just looking for the information. And anything unique is appreciated since most public speeches are hell-ass boring. Let their apathy be a bulwark against embarrassment! ;D

[imoutofhere]

If it's just me up there speaking, I'd probably obsess about it for days and then get up there and blurt out all of my information way too fast.

I did that for my drama monologue at my first high school. I think it still wasn't all that bad, but it was fast, most of them were kind of left silently staring at me. I figured no one cought anything I said, but I got an alright grade, so maybe the staring was just because my speed ended it so quickly they expected more. Actually, thinking on it... I did a good job, and had to force a smile away directly after I finished. No mistakes, everything was exactly as I wanted... Except fast, and it could have been louder. I even made the apropriate eye contact... Delivering Shakespeare should never be at that speed, I really do doubt many of them caught everything I said...

[stuntgp2000]

If all INTJs were confident in voicing out their ideas, I believe that the world would be a better place.
Definitely :thumbsup:

Med

[mind_wander]

:thumbsup: Too bad that my voice is alittle low, today will have a presentation; I'm the first on the line-up.

[TruorTupnm]

It's not too bad, for myself. I only had to do it during school, and I got better each time. At first, I wrote the whole thing out and spoke superly monotonely. The next time, I wrote it all out, memorized it, then spoke like a robot while looking at the ceiling. After that, I only wrote some points and had fun with it. I always had a bit of abdominal butterflies, but they passed quickly. I gave eye contact but haven't seen a use for it. :-? I hate reading something that I didn't come up with. Seems like I'm sharing the limelight with some guy who isn't even up there. No fair, so I guess that I could only be an actor if I wrote the script. The audience is one entity, in my brain. Usually as well as largely indifferent, with a few digits that are amused. I like to talk to those digits, afterwards.

[Bossy Mom]

If I know the topic, I love to speak. I love to discuss my experience of being a mother of a transplant patient and try to convince people how important organ donation is. I have a lot of experience in this and a regular speech, so I have no fear. However, I don't like to speak in any event at work.

[Figmentum]

When I go infront of people, I try to remember that they're the stupid ones. I'm in front, teaching them something. They are learning from me. As far as them being critical towards me, one I really don't give a damn, and two, I know what I'm talking about, they don't. So pretty much everyone has the right to shut up and listen.

[BlackMita]

IMO talking to an audience (doesn't matter what size) is way easier than talking to people. An audience is expected to listen, and you don't even have to be attentive; I usually fake-acknowledge everyone in the room until my comfort-sphere makes imagined listener scrutiny disappear. Plus you can usually plan and rehearse for those situations.

[mind_wander]

When I go infront of people, I try to remember that they're the stupid ones. I'm in front, teaching them something. They are learning from me. As far as them being critical towards me, one I really don't give a damn, and two, I know what I'm talking about, they don't. So pretty much everyone has the right to shut up and listen.
lol, your funny. I kinda do think the same way. The blank stare, what do you mean man?

[Gabrielle]

I'm actually good at public speaking, surprisingly... I was really bad at it, till I got trapped into joining the debate team and speech team in high school. I went to National Tournament and won second place my Senior year.

I think a lot of INTJ's are not really superb at public speaking because...

1. they talk in their "own" terms, and "own" terminology might be perfectly natural for you, but most likely your audience has an IQ of 20 and has no clue what you're talking about. Blank stares and donut eyes ensue.

2. You try to cram 20 ideas in one sentence, so you don't forget ideas 18, 19 and 20. Hold it right there, partner, but your audience is having trouble digesting idea #3.

But public speaking is a skill that everyone has to learn, I think. especially when you want your ideas to get through and not everyone's agreeing with you. :-)

[The Many]

I'm pretty good at it, I have to say. I have absolutely no respect or fear of other people, which may be part of it, though - at least when I have had the time to rehearse and know what I will be talking about. I even performed in drag once, alone on stage, dressed up as a famous Swedish singer, in front of 500-1000 people - I didn't really mind doing it.

I mean, when you cannot even be entirely sure that these other people exist (after all experienced phenomena may not be true), then what is there to fear? When you are talking about something you know it's not even that bad.

[Happydayz]

I'm pretty good at it. My parents forced me to do debate in high school and I took to it pretty readily. No memory if I was a good public speaker before high school though, as debate was the first time I had to engage in it. So I might always have been a good one as opposed to learning it because of my debating experience.

[brewmaster]

Used to hate it until graduate school forced me to deal with it multiple times. I still get nervous but now its more like "f*** it, you are stuck listening to me, and I'm stuck looking at you"

I can talk about my research ad infinitum, so that is why it has become easier.

[The Rose]

I'm actually good at public speaking, surprisingly... I was really bad at it, till I got trapped into joining the debate team and speech team in high school. I went to National Tournament and won second place my Senior year.

I think a lot of INTJ's are not really superb at public speaking because...

1. they talk in their "own" terms, and "own" terminology might be perfectly natural for you, but most likely your audience has an IQ of 20 and has no clue what you're talking about. Blank stares and donut eyes ensue.

2. You try to cram 20 ideas in one sentence, so you don't forget ideas 18, 19 and 20. Hold it right there, partner, but your audience is having trouble digesting idea #3.

But public speaking is a skill that everyone has to learn, I think. especially when you want your ideas to get through and not everyone's agreeing with you. :-)I think you're right. I had to learn to simplify and not use my own language, though every now and then I invent a word.

[B0RGS]

I think I'd be a great public speaker if it were not for my tendency to blush when nervous.

[yondyr]

I have never given a public talk - and I don't ever intend to. The standards I have for myself prevent me from assuming I know everything and the more I delve into a subject, the more I realise how little I do know, so who am I to lecture another? And taking comfort from thinking the audience is a collective moron while true, just isn't my style.

[Uytuun]

I dislike it, but when I get over my initial anxiety, it's better. I get a bit red, though.

What I really hate is when in a discussion I try to explain my point of view, but I do it in such a non-linear/chaotic/idiosyncratic way that when I finish the conversation is dead because no one really understands what I meant...it's even worse when I try to explain an insight I've just come to then and there...

I think I'd be a great public speaker if it were not for my tendency to blush when nervous.

Yes! This is extremely irritating.

[Zilal]

I was apparently born comfortable with public speaking. I usually find it easier and less nerve-wracking than one-on-one conversation. I suppose I can be good at it, but I'm not a dynamo... so while some of my confidence may come from talent, a lot of it just comes from not caring whether I screw up. I worked for four years doing public speaking 9 hours a day and I made mistakes and forgot what I was going to say all the time.

This is in stark contrast to the rest of my life, where I expect I should be able to do everything perfectly. It's odd how things work.

[Astra]

I loathe it with a passion. I'm happy enough speaking in a meeting, but giving a presentation is horrible. I'm always paranoid that everyone's totally bored with both the content of it and my delivery - not helped by the fact I'm a lawyer (not the kind that has to speak in court, fortunately) so the content actually *is* pretty boring most of the time. So much so that I couldn't face the idea of going on a course to improve my skills, because I would actually have to do a presentation as part of it :embarassed:.

I think it's partly the fact that in that specific situation - where the audience are mostly clients (you're supposed to impress them!) and there's only a specific length of time for each presentation - it's hard to adapt the content to suit the audience's reaction. You're basically stuck with what you originally planned, whether or not anyone wants to hear it.

[AgentofGaming]

I hate it too.
When I lose my control of the information I get red.
Waiting for a presentation is like waiting for doomsday.

Although when I have a don't care attitude toward a presentation and enough visual aide, it's much easier.

I'm also plagued with the "you don't speak loud enough" and "you should slow down".
I think it's best to not think too much of what others judge of you and focus on making others understand instead.
Also have to remind myself silence is not a bad thing.

[Provoker]

Public speaking is something I overcame. When I was younger I would get extremely nervous because I lacked the confidence. I was often a sponge for big words so even when I was 12 or something I would get frowned on by my elders when explaining something or speaking. I think people thought I was trying to insult their intelligence when really it was just what came easiest to me. In class, I used to hate when the teacher would point me out when I hadn't done the readings. I would say coherently and with precision "to tell you the truth, I did not do the readings". For me it was better to save my pride and tell the truth than wing it and sound like a fool. Once I began to take school seriously and began university I began to have much more confidence in my thoughts, ideas, and voice. Now, I often participate in large lectures if I want to make a point, I did a speech at my best friend's funeral, and many have suggested I should be a lobbyist because I am a pretty effective speaker. So it's something that I overcame over the years. Now I want to be a trial lawyer so public speaking is essential to my career.

Now, the challenge is adapting my speech according to my environment. Big words still come natural to me (as they always did) but by using them I offend people. At the same time, in dumbing down my language I allow myself to be perceived as simpler and less sophisticated then I actually am. So depending on the listener or audience I adapt my language and method of communication accordingly. Although, this itself is not always easy as I find myself scanning for the most 'diplomatic' word given the context, against what is intuitively the ideal words that come to my mind naturally.

The key thing (for me) was confidence.

[ginandsour]

I find when I get nervous during presentations it's because I don't feel I've mastered the subject. My (albiet time consuming) solution has been to do everything I can to master whatever subject I was presenting so I could answer any questions.

The only time this doesn't happen is when I'm teaching. I have never felt more comfortable being myself than when I've got a marker, white board and a room full of students.

[vaguely dissatisfied]

How other INTJs are in public talking or presentations? Uncomfortable, terrified, confused, OK or good? Please share your experience in this area whatever it is?

I have rarely felt comfortable in presentations. People always tell me I will get better as I do more of them but it seems this method does not work for me. Though I have given many presentations and public speeches before but I always wait for them to end. I think my biggest fear in life is public talking and not being able to get rid of it is painful sometimes. Can anyone tell me what could be the reason behind this fear? I don’t think I’m shy. My own understanding is: I’m not good in presentations because as an INTJ I explain my ideas in few lines or in form of a system but in presentations I’m expected to talk in detail which I’m not able to do naturally.

Apologies, if I made writing mistakes. English is not my native language :). Being a foreigner INTJ (in this case in US) makes some of the things harder but that’s another topic :P.
I have given so many public presentations over the years I've lost count. Most of those times I have been so nervous I thought I might actually die (or at least wished I would). Suprisingly, some of those times I didn't feel a thing....didn't care at all. When I tried to analyze this problem, I would try to figure out what I was doing, thinking, and feeling differently during those times when I was completely relaxed. I cannot for the life of me figure out what was different.

The only thing that makes any sense to me is that I have huge performance anxiety because I am extremely self-conscious and because I am a perfectionist. Both of these traits are relatively common amounst INTJ's. Self-consciousness is probably a trait that many introverted types share. It makes sense when you realize that these types are focused inward rather than outward and, therefore, are keenly aware of themselves and dimly aware of those around them. When you put this type in front of a group and ask them to perform it is as if you are forcing them to look at themselves under a high powered microscope. Now they are analyzing everything they say, every movement they make, every facial expression and so on. Add into the mix a perfectionistic personality and the scrutiny becomes very critical indeed. How can anyone feel or appear comfortable and fluid under these conditions?

So what's the answer? For me, I have come to accept that I will probably never be comfortable giving presentations and that all I can do to address the problem is to work on my perfectionism and to learn to accept my self-consciousness as a part of who I am and to try to work around it as best I can so that I can be somewhat content and happy for the time I will spend here on the planet. At first it was difficult to accept that there was something I wanted that I just couldn't overcome through sheer force of will, but as I got older I began to understand that I could not succeed at everything in life and I was going to have to come up with a way of dealing with my failures if I wanted to be content in any way.

[Ytterbium]

I'm pretty comfortable.

I did a presentation in school, a math problem. I was lazy and had not really prepared myself for it. Things went wrong. The class laughed, the teacher laughed, I laughed, everybody laughed. It was not a complete screw up. I solved the problem, got rid of my anxiousness for presentations an I made my class mates' lives longer.

[pavman]

As long as I'm prepared, I have no problem w/ presentations or public speaking.

I'm always nervous as hell and think it goes horribly wrong, but I always get compliments afterwards, which has built my confidence in this area.

[kirakakash]

I don't think all the advice in the world could save me from the terror of public speaking. I'm not afraid of certain opinions I have being heard, I'm just afraid of giving more of myself than I wish to. This may seem ridiculous to some but I have observed certain jestures that have revealed a great deal of truths of a persons character.

[amei]

To me, that's what drama class was good for. I never would have survived a public speaking class, but drama I could do. In fact I found it much easier not to be myself when public speaking.

I feel the same way. I loved acting and hated giving speeches in school. Most people were shocked when the quiet girl was being loud on stage. It didn't fit their image of me. But I could be loud on stage because it wasn't me - it was another character. When I started adopting some acting techniques and approaching public speaking as acting, I became much more comfortable with it. Having the mindset that I wasn't doing the talking, but another character was, helped me feel more relaxed. The other character was the one being watched and getting judged for making mistakes, not me.

[Zilal]

I'm pretty comfortable.

I did a presentation in school, a math problem. I was lazy and had not really prepared myself for it. Things went wrong. The class laughed, the teacher laughed, I laughed, everybody laughed. It was not a complete screw up. I solved the problem, got rid of my anxiousness for presentations an I made my class mates' lives longer.

That's a great viewpoint. And inspiring!

[pavman]

...I have observed certain jestures that have revealed a great deal of truths of a persons character.

What? The finger? Yeah, that tells you a lot about the person's character who gives it...

[Kotetsu]

About the only form of interpersonal communication I'm any good at is public speaking, oddly enough. I can get up on stages fairly fearlessly, deliver monologues and explain presentations clearly without error or nervousness. Ask me to start up conversation with anyone but my closest friends and I'll sweat.

[Tokey41]

I've done a lot of presentations ranging anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half long in school and I still get nervous right before presenting regardless of the length... but while i'm actually giving it I calm down. It's like a mini panic attack where my heart starts beating faster but it subsides when I realize i'm more than capable of giving the speech. Being well prepared helps a lot, but I think the part that worries me the most is random questions from the audience. You hope you can answer them but theres always a chance that theres one thats your not going to have the answer to.

I don't think I come off as a good presenter sometimes, but the actual content I give is what matters grade wise... so I don't really care.

[coffeeloverfreak]

For me, public speaking or presenting in a topic I know a lot about is a rush. I think it's a real sense of "bring it on", you know, inviting people to throw anything they can at me and knowing I'll be able to field the questions well. Normally I'm not a big fan of the limelight, but being called upon to present on a subject I know a lot about is great. I'm a big fan of just "winging it", i.e. preparing the knowledge and a general outline but not the speech itself, and getting up there and just talking to it.

[iMiki]

Public Speaking = NOO!

Nope, I don't like public speaking.

When I try to explain something, I can't explain it or when I try to explain, my sentences don't flow. It's "broken." I really have to think about what I'm going to say to make myself understandable to others, which takes time for me. Hence, I hardly participate in my classes unless if the answer to the question only requires like three words. I have to write it down and then say what I wrote down.

The crowd also horrifies me. Even it's just one person. I get all shaky and sweaty. But, I'm trying my best to fight this.

[pavman]

For me, public speaking or presenting in a topic I know a lot about is a rush. I think it's a real sense of "bring it on", you know, inviting people to throw anything they can at me and knowing I'll be able to field the questions well. Normally I'm not a big fan of the limelight, but being called upon to present on a subject I know a lot about is great. I'm a big fan of just "winging it", i.e. preparing the knowledge and a general outline but not the speech itself, and getting up there and just talking to it.

I agree... but the key is the topic I know part. I've noticed that when I debate with someone informally, it goes a lot worse than it would have had I been prepared. And the converse of that...when I am prepared, it goes much more brilliantly....my peers praise me, my teachers want to learn from me, and the women throw their undergarments at me... ok maybe not that third thing, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad ;)

[coffeeloverfreak]

Even unprepared can be fun. Sometimes I like to take the devil's advocate position just because it's more interesting. Sometimes I even debate myself. But that's just cause I'm weird like that. :D

[Nightelf]

In the university of law where I study students must practice public speaking, because in almost every seminars chosen we are expected to hold one or two lectures during the semester.
This was terryfinig for me at the beginning and my first attempt was a failure. At least I saw it as a failure because I could not successfully communicate the essence of my lecture, I was boring, monotone etc. I saw the whole lecturing thing as a curse...

But I had to find a way to improve these skills, because without it my life would be pretty hard both in university and in my work. So I started to look at p.s. as an opportunity to teach fellow students and share the results of my researches. When I'm told to pick a topic for the next lecture I do not deny myself, my theme is always a bit different from the mainstream - abstract enough to fascinate me but (at least partly) can be 'translated' for other students not as scientific as me. This interest helps me to speak passionately about the subject plus it makes me feel I have the quest to teach them something they would never encounter with, never know about it without my help. :-) It also gives the self-confidence I need and makes me able to catch the attention of my audience.

[Dream Weaver]

I've done public speaking before. Not too fond of it. Get nervous every time I do it. Probably my No. 1 problem is actually getting them involved. The group I work with does not want to interact with the speaker, be it me or the regular teacher.
The topics I picked were very abstact and "airy" but I managed to find ways to communicate that to my overwhelmingly concrete audience, often with quotes.





Dream Weaver added to this post, 4 minutes and 43 seconds later...

Even unprepared can be fun. Sometimes I like to take the devil's advocate position just because it's more interesting. Sometimes I even debate myself. But that's just cause I'm weird like that. :D

If you're weird like that, then I am too. One of my closest friends and I do that all the time, but I digress.:)

[dandylion]

I hate public speaking. If I have to do a presentation in front of a class, especially by myself, my face gets hot, I don't smile at all, and I sound robotic--like I'm just trying to spout out whatever I have to say and get done with it. I'm fine if I don't have to talk a lot, if I'm not being stared at (like during a power point presentation), or if it's in a small to moderate-sized group. I especially hate impromptu presentations because I don't have enough time to organize what I'm going to say beforehand. I think I've improved a little since junior high, though. One of my goals is to get over this silly fear of public speaking. I think I'll join Toastmasters International one day.

[Victor Tango]

Public speaking used to be one of my biggest fears when I was younger. But after observing a lot of really good public speakers, I found it was a learned skill, just like any other skill, and I decided to conquer it, in typical INTJ fashion. (i.e., ruthlessly work at it in a logical, pragmatic fashion over, and over, and over again.)

Many years, later, I'd rate myself as a 7/10 at public speaking. I'm no Billy Graham, but I can hold an audience's attention and communicate effectively.

But even now, I find myself exhausted, physically and mentally, after every public speech.

[IFearAManOf1Book]

As comfortable as I am reading a prepared piece in front of a crowd, adlibbing usually results in awkward laughs and embarrassment for all.

[lordrrr]

I'm good at speaking like giving a speech and all that I can do easily. Talking in public with people I don't know well is where I pretty much shut down, unless it's with my friends or something. I just can't stand how people can talk hours on end about pointless bullshit and not even care to converse something more interesting. I like talking one on one with people about serious topics, I love discussions like those, that's where I can really shine. Like my older cousin. I love her.

[MNRon]

Cpmes very naturally to me, have always been well recieved, virtually never nervous, speking from a few points on an outline.

I have a reputation as an excellent "presenter" and have dealt with a wide variety of topics in a wide variety of settings, very comfortably.

[blueeyedsusan]

I learned public speaking and I have had assertiveness training and also had classes about power and control. It helped. Take a breathe, speak slowly, look slightly over people's heads. In an argument remember the original subject and don't be diverted, those kinds of things.

[Mandrake]

I am comfortable when making a presentation. I try to talk loud, clear, and with authority which keeps my audience alert most if the time. I am usually mocked for my accent, but I shrug my hecklers by making fun of my own accent.

My main issue however is that I am easily distracted and can be easily interrupted from my presentation.

[E148]

Public speaking is the worst class/endeavor for me. It is the only college class I considered dropping. I took it during a summer semester but by the time I decided to drop, it was too late to drop (by a few hours). I did get a little more comfortable by the end of the course but that may be because I felt more comfortable with the people-- fellow students in my class. But I do not want to do it again.

So far as the using visual aids -- one of my speeched required the use of visual aids.

I had a rather nasty experience very early in life that I will not overcome.
In 6th grade we were asked for volunteers to do a report and presentation to the school about some person from history. I raised my hand to ask a question and got chosen. I was not volunteering. Doing the report was not hard nor was memorizing it. But when I got in front of the microphone my mind went blank. It was about Carl Sandberg. Stage fright. Some thing similar happened in 7th grade in a skit about "Along Came Jones". I was just supposed to go out on stage and throw a fake punch and I could not do that.

So, I hate acting.

During 8th grade I was forced to take Speech class, instead of a foreign language. The only thing I liked about it (I should say could tolerate) was a short impromptu pantomime. No time to worry about what I was going to say.

[dandylion]

So what exactly can one do to improve in public speaking? Are there any special techniques? I have to do a 20-25 minute presentation which is more like a lesson/lecture for a class, and I don't want to embarrass myself royally. :embarassed: What can I do to keep things interesting?

I've read a few articles and tips over the internet on the subject, but I'd also like to see how you all would approach this, whether you're good or bad at public speaking.

[IgnoranceIsKind]

Two days ago I had a presentation in front of my class on the topic of capitalist exploits in the early 19th century. I was extremely nervous and I really had a hard time remembering my points and by the end of it I realised that I have missed many. To make things worse, my classmate told me that while presenting my hands were shaking. I didn't even notice that :stunned:

[PRBori]

Hmm..

Public Speaking comes naturally if it is related to my plans and goals. I've done technical training for groups, and would not mind being a speaker at a conference as long as it is related to my type of work.

However, I would prepare dearly to make sure my presentation is well presented. My slides will be 3D and good effects to divert the attention to the presentation rather than myself.

Bottom line public speaking among my peers is not bad; however, public speaking among others for unrelated work topics is not.

I'm an INTJ with a plan and career goals, so if it will help me reach my goals, I will be extra-confident. After all, I really don't care what others think of me, so I can easily emphasized on my presentation and normally I'm educated enough to answer any questions there may be. My job is to translate technical jargon into an easy to follow message, so that said I don't have the same issues some of you encounter.

[TheLastMohican]

I have not tried public speaking much, but I think I wouldn't have a problem with it. Stage fright is not an issue, as long as I know what I am doing. Of course, if I had to give an impromptu presentation on "The Virtues of Expressing Yourself" or something weird like that, I would have a very hard time, but that's just the subject matter, not the stage.





TheLastMohican added to this post, 8 minutes and 8 seconds later...

So what exactly can one do to improve in public speaking? Are there any special techniques? I have to do a 20-25 minute presentation which is more like a lesson/lecture for a class, and I don't want to embarrass myself royally. :embarassed: What can I do to keep things interesting?

I've read a few articles and tips over the internet on the subject, but I'd also like to see how you all would approach this, whether you're good or bad at public speaking.

Get to know the subject really well (especially important if you field questions). I would fill the lecture with interesting facts and weird numbers, if possible, just to keep the audiences on their toes. Pay close attention to the class, and if people look bored, say something to give them a jolt (I would prepare a few really odd things beforehand that I could work in on a moment's notice).

You will probably feel very confident going in if you have done your research. If you are still jumpy, put some notes in your pocket so you know they are there (just don't use them until desperate).
I hope that helps! Good luck. :)

[gettothepoint]

I have a notion that I would be able to be good at it but then I am afraid of failure and I freak myself out. I feel that I have so much to tell the people in the audience but then I start thinking to much how I am going to be able to relay my thoughts in a manner that is understood. Then I start wondering if I will be able to get all my points across. It seems to be a real battle that I just can't get comfortable with. I just wish I could overcome this problem so my ideas and thoughts could be heard.

[Dreamer]

Okay,this is what worked for me. Try it at your own risk.

As a kid,I felt uncomfortable speaking in public. Maybe I was a little bit insecure or rather whatever subject they've given me was uninteresting and I knew little about it.

Then in high school ,I got the class to laugh with me(I think), and then I made a habit of trying to crack jokes,more outrageous each time I went up in front of the class. It gave me the taste for public speaking as I found that that I could not only make my audience laugh but that I could also make them think and maybe even change their points of view. Humour in public speaking could be seen at the limit as the most disarming method of persuasion.

Public speaking at least for me is really a habit that reeinforces itself. Even when I have to talk in front of a "serious" audience, I can't help but crack some jokes in hope to get some smiles.

Reagan also related a similar instance in his youth, and I wholeheartidly agree with him that humour may just be the cure for fear of public speaking.


Maybe you are simply taking yourself too seriously? Maybe it is the fear of making a fool of yourself,or simply overpreparation(long pauses where you might be thinking about what to say next and the audience might feel equally uncomfortable, maybe?)? Relax, take a deep breath, crack some jokes, be slightly more informal in content(but not in appearance).

Oh,and by the way,stress is good, really, you perform better under pressure. ;)


Apologies, if I made writing mistakes. English is not my native language Your english is far from bad for a non-native speaker. :)

[nightengale]

I don't like making speeches. but i love acting, being in musicals and such. now THAT kind of stage, I like. But it's definitely been something I've had to work on. It's a challenge :D

[Antares]

I'm usually a bit nervous, but I'll post again after I do my speech tomorrow.

[gogurtdynasty]

I'm the same way. I have huge communication problems and get very nervous and get very... nonlinear with my thought processes (i'm not a very good date :-P) But when im put under the pressure of an audience and time constraints i preform amazingly! I can talk for hours producing exceptional information and very logical opinions but as soon as my thought process has been broken my mind wraps around subjects like newts and how much cows tongues bother me....

[dandylion]

Get to know the subject really well (especially important if you field questions). I would fill the lecture with interesting facts and weird numbers, if possible, just to keep the audiences on their toes. Pay close attention to the class, and if people look bored, say something to give them a jolt (I would prepare a few really odd things beforehand that I could work in on a moment's notice).

You will probably feel very confident going in if you have done your research. If you are still jumpy, put some notes in your pocket so you know they are there (just don't use them until desperate).
I hope that helps! Good luck. :)

Thanks. :) I think most of the time I am nervous because I don't know what to say or I'll forget what to say, so it makes sense to be an expert on the topic. I usually try to say what I need to say in as few words and possible and be done with it.

A couple weeks ago in my government class we were doing a political simulation and I was a Senator representing Congress and giving a brief solution on what to do about a hostage situation. I thought I was doing pretty well, and I was pleased with myself... up until the mock-President asked me a question, and I said, "Huh?" because it worded it confusingly and I felt dumb when I had to ask him to say it over, and even worse when I came up with an even dumber answer because I couldn't think of a great solution on the spot. I'm bad at impromptu presentations like that.

[Antares]

I'm usually a bit nervous, but I'll post again after I do my speech tomorrow.

My speech wasn't half-bad; my voice was loud enough and everything. I felt generally calm. It was my content that was bad. Apparently, my vocabulary was "too advanced" and my topic "too complex" for my Freshmen classmates. As our resident class snob put it, "know your audience". My teacher told me it would have been really appreciated by a university-level audience, but not 14-15 year olds. Which part is 'too complex' anyway? Defining human being and the concept and morality of abortion? Or the definition of murder? Right to live? I don't get people. I really don't.

[Nemesys]

As an off-the-chart I and a professional trainer, here's some quick hints I've learned:

1) Learn to control your external energy, and to balance it with your internal energy. I's can extrovert if they know that it's temporary and under their control. It's just a matter of allowing yourself to live in the moment - something that doesn't come naturally to us, but can be developed.

2) Practice until you're very competent in your mind of both your topic and your presentation style. Talk out loud. Block your movements. Shuffle your papers. Play with the PowerPoint remote. Answer imaginary hecklers.

3) Use small language. N's tend to use $20 words in their heads. Don't assume that everyone will see the same patterns that you do. Realize that not everyone is as sophisticated as you are. Talking down to people is an INTJ skill you're going to have to learn, especially in a way that people don't realize that you're talking down to them.

4) Realize that when talking about controversial topics like abortion that some people will react emotionally to your logical conclusions. Anticipate it. Look forward to it. Again, be ready to reply to it in small words.

5) Allow yourself to have fun. Once you channel the energy from inside of you to outside, INTJ's really do like being in the center of things. Smile and enjoy your moment in the sun. After all, if you've prepared as above, nobody's better at leading than you are.

Nobody.





Nemesys added to this post, 13 minutes and 49 seconds later...

"I thought I was doing pretty well, and I was pleased with myself... up until the mock-President asked me a question, and I said, "Huh?" "

A sleazy speaker's trick when questions that you don't understand or know the answer to come up:

1) Look wise, nod your head, and appear to be contemplating an answer
2) Say "That's a great question. What do other folks think about that?"
3) Lead the group in facilitating responses.

Not only will you come across as wise, but you'll appear to be interactive.

[TheLastMohican]

dandylion,
This might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but I think it might be best to actually extend your presentation instead of saying what you have to say quickly. I presume that you try to shorten it so you don't have time to forget what you need to say. If that is so, you might be more likely to forget things if you don't have easily-remembered segues in between the points. Therefore, adding a bit of fluff (not really, but just related bits that are not absolutely necessary) would probably help to make a smooth transition and make the speech flow very nicely.

Also, if you make the audience laugh or stop and think carefully about something you say, they will be less likely to notice any nervousness you are showing. If you speak quickly and make the speech relatively dry, they won't have much else to critique besides you (your posture, clarity, volume, etc.), and then it will be harsher.

I should add that I have very little experience with public speaking; I am mostly getting my advice from what I think is sound logic, but it is not proven!

Do let us know how it goes, and feel free to skewer my posts if I turn out to be wrong. ;)

[Haphazard]

I don't feel so uncomfortable presenting, especially because I've had two years of hard training for presenting in front of people.

The only thing is that I tend to not be understood. Some of the words I use, some of the jumps in logic I make, still give people trouble. It's hard to present something I know a lot about to people who know nothing about it at all. But then again, this isn't uncommon in real life in normal speaking for me.

[outrider]

Also, if you make the audience laugh or stop and think carefully about something you say, they will be less likely to notice any nervousness you are showing.

This is excellent advice, as were the tips from Nemesys.

I have to speak to groups of clients and colleagues regularly. The first few times, I was extremely nervous and relied heavily on outlines or even scripts to go with my slides. Now, I'm more comfortable speaking off the cuff. From the beginning, though, I found that humor relaxed the audience, and me (when they laugh, you have them - and when they nod and smile or even call out comments, you really have them). I pillage the Internet for cartoons peripherally related to my subject matter, and add photos I've taken of my animals, my family, my last vacation, my clients' animals... use your imagination (if you're an INTJ, you have a passion for your subject matter and a creative streak - let loose!).

It is still difficult to hit an appropriate level of complexity. Ironically, what helped me most was speaking to kids. If kids don't understand what you are talking about, they will be honest and ask. Adults sit there, nod, and walk away befuddled. Sometimes adults are awed, sometimes resentful. Neither is optimal, IMO.

One sign of intelligence, in my opinion, is the ability to discern key points and break them down into manageable chunks of knowledge. Having seen my typically very bright colleagues both succeed and fail in this realm, I try to be aware of what I want my take-home message to be when preparing any presentation. And I try not to BS. I can always tell when someone is shoveling, so to speak, as can my INTJ business partner. He tends to poke me when this happens; we sit in the back row on purpose.

When speaking to mixed knowledge lay person groups, I try to take a light, "okay, I know you already know this", OR, "I know you would never do this" tone. For example, I spoke last week to a large group: my clients, my friends' clients from adjacent veterinary practices, prospective clients, a few ex-clients, and some non-clients who never have and never will be my clients (for a variety of reasons ranging from geography to "other"). Anyhow, I talked about an emergency situation I had with one of my own animals: take home message - if it's your own animal, you will panic. Everyone laughed, and, I hope, listened.

When I speak to colleagues, I don't hold back with knowledge. I know my subject matter inside out, am aware that not everyone can follow my intuitive leaps, but rationalize that everyone in the room has a doctorate... and in some cases, two. It's fun to shine, but I would never do this in a venue where others are less expert.

Finally, if you have to use unusual vocabulary or jargon, practice your pronunciation. I once had to give a presentation to colleagues containing the phrase "edematous epididymis". Immediately following, one of my colleagues came over and told me she could tell I practiced, citing that phrase.

Oh, yeah: do a dry run for a ruthless friend. And plan to go out after the actual talk for a merciless rehash over chocolate.

[quest ion]

Am I the only intj here who totally loves public speaking? Maby I'm a closet E I don't know.

Haha.

[TheLastMohican]

Am I the only intj here who totally loves public speaking? Maby I'm a closet E I don't know.

Haha.

I think I might, but I have not had much opportunity.

[nyshygirl71]

I am horrible with public speaking. This was one of the reasons I hated college or school for that matter. Presentations never got easier and sad to say I currently avoid it at all costs.

[eternaltriangle]

Am I the only intj here who totally loves public speaking? Maby I'm a closet E I don't know.

Haha.

I love it as well - I did debating in undergrad... Parliamentary debating really lends itself to NT's, because you construct a wide variety of cases (instead of arguing the same thing over), and it comes down to the main ideas, rather than specific facts. I did best at style rounds, which are done more for fun. The basic idea of a style round is you argue something obviously flawed, but the opposition abstains from pointing out "but that's a terrible idea", or silly.
eg. be it resolved that God is a communist (I was in opposition to that one, and countered it using my best impersonation of Joseph McCarthy). Its a very NJ kind of thing - obviously there aren't a bunch of details because you are debating in a silly alternate reality, while at the same time it always stinks when things become completely random.

I think INTJ's probably have some natural deficits in speeches that can be overcome. We are not very good at memorizing speeches (or at least I am not - probably why we make lousy actors). However, the reason we can't memorize them is that we are better at thinking in terms of the "big picture".

Rather than writing out a detailed speech, I prefer to have a few big themes that I will discuss. I don't write things out, I might just write "change" or whatever the theme happens to be. Now speeches need content, but you usually have a lot of options when it comes to content. Rather than going through a speech line-by-line (I always lose my place), I would develop a series of sub-points that you don't necessarily need to use (or write down, you can just go over the arguments in your head). In the speech, just sort of, randomly sample from the sub-points. You may miss some, but at least you are getting the main idea across. I also tend to have to plan jokes or anecdotes in advance, because it is hard to come up with those of the cuff.

So rather than planning things word for word, just sketch out the flow of the speech, and fill in the details in an ad-hoc kind of a way. That is what has worked for me.

[Antares]

3) Use small language. N's tend to use $20 words in their heads. Don't assume that everyone will see the same patterns that you do. Realize that not everyone is as sophisticated as you are. Talking down to people is an INTJ skill you're going to have to learn, especially in a way that people don't realize that you're talking down to them.


Agreed. I initially had words like 'aformentioned', 'apparently' and 'mediocre', but realized that most of my classmates probably would find them confusing, so I changed the sentence: "In the aformentioned events, the perpetrators were apparently unremorseful and their compensation efforts mediocre." to "These events showed us that, obviously, the people who commited the crime didn't feel bad for what they did and their apology was pathetic."

[TheLastMohican]

Agreed. I initially had words like 'aformentioned', 'apparently' and 'mediocre', but realized that most of my classmates probably would find them confusing, so I changed the sentence: "In the aformentioned events, the perpetrators were apparently unremorseful and their compensation efforts mediocre." to "These events showed us that, obviously, the people who commited the crime didn't feel bad for what they did and their apology was pathetic."

Just to understand things better: In your class, do the rest of the students know English like you do, or are you translating what you originally wrote in Chinese?

(My 100th post; shall I celebrate? :))

[Tsunami]

Gosh! this brought back memeories.
I used to hate getting up in front of a group for a presentation. This was particularly bad as a teenager and university. Hot sweats, hiding and even once pretending 'being too ill' to attend that day!

But then I found the trick - for me at least - a two stage process that people have advised for years! But it never seemed to click with me. (Call it laziness!)

1. I have to learn the subject backwards before I get up and speak! (Well, at least think I know the subject matter!)
2. Rehearse and rehearse.

I suppose nothing new there, huh!
Once I finally realised this confidence grew overnight and it wasn't long before I was boring everyone with my presentations in meetings! These days I don't need to rehearse as much but then often the subjects are based along the same lines. To this day if I don't 'really' know the subject matter - nothing makes me feel at ease standing in front of a group.

Oh, and I still really hate having ask the standard, "I'll take any questions you might have now". You never never know when the killer question is just waiting to catch in front of all those people!
I suppose this is typical INTJ!

[outrider]

Oh, and I still really hate having ask the standard, "I'll take any questions you might have now". You never never know when the killer question is just waiting to catch in front of all those people!
I suppose this is typical INTJ!

I am a little nervous about questions even when I really know my subject, but Q&A can be enjoyable with the right audience.

When I gave a 20-minute final presentation in veterinary school, I could see one of my INTJ professors in the audience practically bouncing up and down in gleeful anticipation. Throughout the semester he and I had regularly caused most of the other people taking the seminar to slink away when we sparred on some subject that interested us (unfortunately for everyone else, we are interested in a lot of esoteric topics and like to read up on what interests us).

Anyhow, after the head of the department grilled me a little, my INTJ professor and I just let fly and engaged in verbal body slamming for about 45 minutes. Graduate students were scuttling out the back. Some of my classmates were trying to figure out how to page themselves. My advisor, a lovely ENFP who stayed the course, later told me she was trying to figure out if she was going to have to pull the smoke alarm to get us to please wrap it up (and the topic I'd chosen is one she finds intriguing).

There was no malice or dominance involved - just pure fun I think only another INTJ can properly appreciate.

[Zirka]

I don't mind talking in public, especially if it is on a topic that I understand. It may stem from my parents pushing me to be in plays and concerts when I was younger, but I find it challenging yet enjoyable. My main problems are tailoring my vocabulary and ideas to my audience, especially if they are younger than me, or not as educated and not talking to fast. My brain works faster than my mouth, and I tend to forget that, and then I find myself stumbling over words.

[TheLastMohican]

I don't mind talking in public, especially if it is on a topic that I understand. It may stem from my parents pushing me to be in plays and concerts when I was younger, but I find it challenging yet enjoyable. My main problems are tailoring my vocabulary and ideas to my audience, especially if they are younger than me, or not as educated and not talking to fast. My brain works faster than my mouth, and I tend to forget that, and then I find myself stumbling over words.

As far as I know, that is quite a rare thing. Be eternally grateful. ;)

[dandylion]

Great tips, everyone. Now I'm a little more confident I'll do a pretty decent job on my 20-25 minute presentation. ;D After all, how hard could it be to analyze some poetry in front of the class?

[Zirka]

As far as I know, that is quite a rare thing. Be eternally grateful. ;)

I am. Its just frustrating at times. And embarrassing. :scared: Especially in front of a large crowd.

[darkkodiak]

I'm not comfortable standing in front of a group of people but I am a good public speaker. Some of my peers and teachers have said that I'm actually pretty dam good at it. However, if I don't have to make a public speech I don't haha.

[Vortex]

I did debate / congress /etc for all four years in highschool. I started out terribly, but went to nationals in congress my senior year ;)