Tag Archives: shy

As an introvert, how do I improve my communication skills?

If I understand your question, you are asking how can you improve your ability to connect and communication with people despite being shy? This being the case, I see this more as a challenge of how to step out of your shyness and being self-conscious about who you are in order to become more comfortable with yourself and others.

I was very shy growing up. This can make you feel lonely and invisible. If you are like me, by the nature of being shy, I was uncomfortable speaking and therefore, would become very nervous when I was around others and felt pressure when I was asked to speak. This caused me to stumble over my words.

I was able to overcome this challenge to ultimately become a successful speaker by doing the following:

  1. Recognize your equality to all people. It can be difficult to step out of your shyness with any limiting beliefs about yourself and your ability to successfully communicate your thoughts.
  2. Don’t compare yourself to others. When you look at others and compare yourself to them and how they communicate, it creates an artificial expectation of what you should be capable of doing.
  3. Practice sharing your opinion. A great start to breaking through the silence is to share what you’re thinking. To build your confidence and communication skills, take calculated risks by sharing with people you know genuinely like you and will celebrate your efforts.

Consider adding 5 Steps to Assertiveness How to Communicate with Confidence and Get What You Want to your reading list.

Copyright © 2018 S. Renee Smith.