Comments on: HOW-TO Be Social if You’re Shy

By: Reetle

Reetle — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:50:00 +0000

By: HOW-TO Become a better public speaker — Ingenioustries.com

HOW-TO Become a better public speaker — Ingenioustries.com — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:06:55 +0000

[...] doing a post about how to become more social if you’re shy, I thought I might talk a little bit about becoming a better public [...]

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:21:11 +0000

That’s awesome advice.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:20:15 +0000

in J-school, we learned on the first day to never ask a question that can be answered with “yes” or “no” during an interview. Even instead of asking someone where they’re from, you’re supposed to phrase it like, “tell me about where you’re from” or “tell me about where you grew up”, etc. Less awkward silences!

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:42:04 +0000

I believe it, Cyn! Yes, the one word answer is the enemy of all conversations. It’s like volleying in a sport, right? The person is asking you a question so that it gets the conversation going. It’s now your job to volley back with some decent information to keep it up in the air. The one word answer is totally dropping the ball.

That’s the most muddled metaphor I’ve ever constructed, I think, but the point is sound :)

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:40:12 +0000

No question.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:39:21 +0000

Okay…would you ever believe that I was shy too? I knew you wouldn’t! But it is so true. Being able to make small talk is tough work for many and the key is always in the sincerity. And so I always ask questions about the other person because I want to learn more about them. I laughed at “Don’t give an interview”. I know I do this. I have problem with awkward silence. You know this. Sometimes if people are quite, I feel like I’m trying to pull teeth. So I ask even more questions. For those that are shy, make sure you try to give more than a one word answer. It’ll stop you from being battered by a barrage of questions.

And Joel, now that we know you, we can get you to shut up! That said, I’ll take the end of the table if you’ve got the corner seat.

By: Christopher Mercer

Christopher Mercer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:15:49 +0000

Great post Joel. Keep this kind of work up.

As for the point about sharing. Don’t over share! People won’t want to hear about your bathing schedule in extreme detail but feel free to be open and honest in a discussion.

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:52:26 +0000

Glad you liked the post. Very true, the over-share can be bad, too. But I’d say it’s worth the risk if it gets a shy person out and talking to people. It’s a game of trial and error, certainly.

By: Ross

Ross — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:49:56 +0000

It’s funny. In highschool I was nick-named “Shy-Ross” (No creativity in that school) – But towards the middle of gr.11 I knew I had to get out there and talk more… Talking like you’ve known someone forever is key. Just gotta make sure you do cross the line from comfortable to way too much information… That happens way too often.

Solid post.