Public Speaking Tips For Ambiverts

Are you an ambivert?

Nowadays, it is common to hear people ask one another, are you an ambivert, introvert, or extrovert?

While the term ambivert first appeared in 1927 in sociologist Kimball Young’s Source Book for Social Psychology, this term was relatively unused until a recent resurgence in popularity.

A 2013 research paper by Adam Grant, a professor at The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, determined that ambiverts, people who are in the middle of the introversion/extroversion spectrum, are the most successful salespeople. The same middle-of-the-road psychological profile that helps make ambiverts outstanding salespeople extends to other facets of professional life, including entrepreneurial leadership, according to Entrepreneur.com.

Ambiverts have introverted and extroverted traits, however neither personality type is dominant in ambivert individuals. Ambiverts can go with the flow more easily – sometimes they want to be the life of the party just like an extrovert, while other times they want to hide away by themselves as an introvert would.

The fluidity and agility of the ambivert personality is what makes ambiverts superior leaders and communicators; they can listen as well as they can talk, and they can contemplate as well as they can collaborate.

However, flexibility of personality can also be confusing sometimes because it means that there is no set rhythm for everyday life. Ambiverts must have a more developed sense of self-awareness to know what they need in the moment. For example, after a long day at work an ambivert might wonder if they should go have a drink with friends or go for a walk in the woods. The ambivert will need to think carefully about their needs because there is not always a clear path for their schedules; their preferences change according to their goals, their recent activity level, and their energy level.

Are you an ambivert? Find out by taking this quiz: Daniel Pink’s Assessment

Public Speaking Tips For Ambiverts

Find the right balance

If you are an ambivert, you’re lucky because the characteristics of a great public speaker are a natural part of your personality. You have the ability to be in tune with the audience, while also projecting your own ideas. The challenge for you will be finding the right balance – knowing when to speak up and when to shift you focus to others.

Warm Up The Crowd

You can assess the best way to balance your personality traits for a presentation by warming up the crowd before launching into you presentation material.

For example, if there is time before you take the stage, you can chit chat with attendees to assess their personalities, moods, energy levels, and interests. If there is no time for small talk before your presentation, you can still warm up the crowd with some questions, and perhaps even some interactive exercises that will reveal something about the mood of the attendees.

Once you learn a little about the audience, adjust your presentation style to fit their current needs.

Gauge the Audience

In addition, at some points during your presentation, you should pause and notice the audience. Are they attentive or asleep? Do they look confused or engaged?

Since ambiverts are naturally flexible in personality, you should use these short pauses to adjust your current communication style to fit the needs of the audience.

For example, if the audience looks bored, you might have an audience that is predominantly extroverts, and therefore they need more interaction to keep from falling asleep. If that is the case, you should ask the audience a question, or give them a brief break as soon as is appropriate for your presentation material. 

Master The Q&A

Ambiverts will especially shine during the Q&A portion of a presentation because Q&A sessions are a back-and-forth dance of listening, thinking, and speaking. 

Extroverts will often struggle to listen and think through thoughtful answers before responding.

Introverts might struggle with quickly formulating an answer and then confidently sharing it with a crowd.

Ambiverts, however, know how to listen, think through an answer, and then quickly respond in a thoughtful way. 

If you’re an ambivert, make sure to include Q&A session at some point during your presentation, as this will be a great opportunity for you to connect with the audience and also demonstrate your leadership skills.

To prepare for a successful Q&A, think through all of the various questions you might receive during the Q&A, and prepare thoughtful answers for each. In addition, practice your response for questions that you cannot answer immediately. How will you keep your composure during these interactions? How will you stay confident even though you are unsure of how to respond? Preparing for the Q&A in advance will ensure that you are not flustered by anything that unfolds during this unpredictable portion of presentations. 

Conclusion

If you’re an ambivert, you should welcome public speaking and presentation opportunities because you are likely a natural leader and communicator. The key to success as an ambivert public speaker is self-awareness and awareness of the audience. If you can stay aware of your fluctuating moods and tendencies as well as the moods and preferences of the attendees, you will be wildly successful as a presenter.

Additional Resources:

Presentation Tips For Introverts

Presentation Skills for Introverts and Extroverts

The Complete Guide to Knowing Your Audience

Introverts and Extroverts: Balancing Interactivity in Your Presentation