Does the idea of getting visible drain you? Do you get giddy when plans get cancelled? In this episode, ShawnQ explains how introversion has nothing to do with your social skills, everything to do with energy management, and he even gives a great tip on how to avoid the “awkward silence” …

Hey ShawnQ here and in this episode, I want to talk about being an introverted entrepreneur. If you didn’t guess yet, I am a huge introvert. Now there’s a big misconception because people are like, “But Shawn, you’re so great on stage or Shawn you’re so social”.

Here’s the truth if you’re an introvert, it does not mean you’re antisocial. If you’re an extrovert, it also does not mean you’re naturally social. Introversion and extroversion have nothing to do with your social skills and have everything to do with energy management. I know I just blew your mind. It has nothing to do with social skills, has everything to do with where you get your energy.

If you’re an extrovert and you’re around people, you are like, you’re generating so much energy because you get excited by being around people. You’re like, oh my gosh, there’s another party, yes I get to be around people, I get to be energized!” Now, if you’re an introvert, like me going to parties, drains you getting on stage, doing these podcasts, like I’m drained when I’m interacting with other people.

Not because I’m antisocial, but because I get my energy from being by myself, when I’m able to cocoon away with a blanket and some hot tea and just read a good book, I am energized by that moment. So introversion and extroversion have nothing to do with social skills. It has everything to do with energy management.

If you’re an introvert, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a really good conversation on the contrary. Oftentimes people think they’re really bad at conversations when instead they’re just really bad at small talk. I am the worst at small talk. Get me at a party and I was like, I don’t want to talk about the weather, but get me into a deep conversation with someone one-on-one that conversation will light me up.

If you’re an introvert, you’re actually particularly equipped to have really strong one-on-one conversations and if you’re a fan of this podcast, you know, the impact of having a really good conversation. So I want to encourage you instead of discounting your introversion. If you’re an introverted entrepreneur, do not discount yourself, do not dismiss yourself.

You have the ability to go out and to change the world. Doesn’t mean you have to be social. Doesn’t mean you have to like be around people all the time. It does mean you get to impact people. One person at a time, and I do want to talk about social skills real quick.

Social skills are a really interesting thing because being social has nothing to do with being the life of the party. I remember growing up, I was not the life of the party. Like if you go to a party, when I was a kid, I was the kid who was like by himself, like looking at the grass or playing with the dog. Like, nobody talked to me, I’m in my own world.

I’m perfectly fine being by myself, and it’s been a journey for me to learn how to be social. For those of you who are introverted, oftentimes it’s that awkward silence we don’t want to get into. Let me encourage you. The greatest way to overcome awkward silence is one, be very interested in the person in front of you.

Ask questions, ask them what do. Where did you grow up? What did you love most about where you grew up? Ask them what are you working on recently? How has what you’ve been working on impacted the way your dreams are turning out for you? What is something you really want to be doing, but you don’t really have the time to do it? Ask them questions and be so interested in who they are. They will leave feeling like you genuinely heard them.

So there’s this analogy and it speaks really like closely to this. There were two presidential candidates. One went into a room and she gave the greatest speech ever, and people were like, “Oh my gosh, she is so cool”. This second presidential candidate went in and she gave an incredible speech. Everyone was like, “Oh my gosh, I am so cool, I’m really important, I’m needed”. That’s how you break the awkward is by focusing on them.

Make them feel like they’re the best person that is the only person on the planet. Introverts we do this really well. So if you’re an introverted entrepreneur, you got this. You can be social. You can develop social skills and you can then manage your energy.

Let me break that down real quick is anytime I am giving a speech or anytime I am on stage doing a training, I reserve 30 minutes beforehand to be by myself. I also reserved 30 minutes afterwards to be by myself. Why? Because I’m pouring energy out and I need time to pour energy  back in.

This goes out to all the introverted entrepreneurs. We got this, you got this, go change, the world, go have conversations and don’t allow your introversion to stop you from pursuing your greatest dreams. I’m ShawnQ your high ticket sales coach, and I’ll see in the next episode.