Oral Communication: The Shy & Introverted

Susan Cain presents a TEDTalk on The Power of Introverts. In this talk she addresses the ways which our culture values being social and outgoing especially in our education systems and work. Cain discusses how it may feel shameful or difficult under these conditions to be an introvert and highlights all the wonderful abilities introverts have to offer, and why introversion should be encouraged and celebrated. 

Cain, Susan. The power of introverts. 2012. URL: https://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4

During my observation days at my placement I have noticed how fearful most of the students can be when it comes to public speaking. Their public speaking unit does not begin until next term, yet throughout the whole fall they refer to when they will have to do speeches and how nervous they are for them. It is interesting to me that they have been dwelling on a 3 minute speech that they will be presenting months away. This is mostly because of the idea that at some point in their year as eighth graders they know that everyone in the class will be looking at them as they stand in front of the room and present something that they have come up with themselves.

Last week I was able to see a sneak preview of how they will be when it comes to the public speaking unit that I will be preparing and executing in my teaching block. They were asked to take a short article from a Remembrance Day newspaper, read it to themselves, and come up with the main points and a 1 minute synthesis to tell the class what the article was about. Fear struck. It is safe to say the entire class bombed this activity. Even those students who were nailing the comprehension of the article were flopping in their oral communication because of the sheer terror of speaking in front of their peers. 

This is the greatest challenge that they will have to overcome when public speaking, and they may not overcome it. And the greatest challenge for me, as their teacher, will be preparing lessons in order to strengthen the confidence of the students and to relieve some of the stress the burden of oral communication puts on them. This can be done through activities and TEDTalks that support metacognition and reflecting on oral communication skills and strategies. We will identify what strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after listening and speaking and what steps they can take to improve their oral communication skills. (Ontario Language Curriculum, p. 140)

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/uschools

One of the ways I would like to promote metacognition of oral communication skills is through TEDTalks. TEDTalks that are based on topics such as public speaking, body language, fear, and introversion. This brings me back to the TEDTalk above by Susan Cain. Many of the students in my class may label themselves introverted or shy, which is why they feel so fearful when it comes to presenting their ideas to a class. Cain makes the distinction that, being shy is the fear of social judgment and introversion (and extroversion) is the way that we respond to social stimulation. In the most cases introversion and being shy go hand in hand. Cain labels herself as an introvert and towards the end makes the comment that even though she is honoured to speak to the audience in this platform, this is also not where she is most comfortable. She is a model of how even though the students may believe that they are under one label and comfortable in one area, oral communication is still a safe platform for the shy soft spoken person to relay their ideas. 

During her talk she states that some of our most transformative leaders were introverts such as Eleanor Rosevelt, Rosa Parks, Ghandi; all these people described themselves as quiet, soft spoken and even shy. They all took the spot light even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to.I think this point may be one of the most important for students to know; that leaders such as these took the spotlight and directed not because they were comfortable or outgoing, but because their ideas led them to do so. I also believe that it is important for students to have the mindset that if you are shy and introverted you will not fail at public speaking. Yes, extroverts may thrive and feel comfortable communicating their ideas orally but introverts, who may not thrive in the same environment, still have the power to convey ideas effectively. In the examples Cain gives of these global leaders, and also in the example of her grandfather the Rabbi, students are able to see that that public speaking and outgoing-ness are not one in the same. 

TEDTalks, such as this one by Cain, can inspire self confidence and motivate students to practice public speaking, or as Cain calls it, "speaking dangerously". 

References:
Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 -8: Language. 2006. Accessed: November 21, 2015. URL: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf

Susan Cain. The Power of Introverts. 2012. URL: https://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4