Introvert speaking: My own case study as a shy, heat-sensitive woman who wanted to master public speaking

businesspersonal

May 25

It still happens. Every time I’m asked to guest teach or give a public speaking presentation—that I’ve willingly volunteered or even applied for—I get sweaty pits & my breathing picks up the pace.

It’s a fascinating combination of

→ immediate excitement! (Someone wants me to speak?! Yay!)

Quickly followed by the

→ fast & furious recoil (Oh em gee—what did you just agree to, Brittany?!)

I simultaneously love & hate public speaking.

But the more I do it, the more confident I am in myself, my ability, & my knowledge.

After all—the attendees only really care about how you can help them. More on that in a bit.

I’m typing all this out because another shy human, a business owner I admire very much, Jera Bean, posted a post today on the ’gram.

→ Have a look at what Jera said

I began thinking about ALL those times that have come “before” in my speaking journey.

There were more than I realized.

So, while I’m truly writing this for YOU, dear friend who thinks

“I don’t have it in me to be a public speaker.”

“I desperately want to get my message out into the world.”

But also…

“I am terrified in ways I can’t begin to articulate.”

I’m also writing this for me.

To remind me that once, I wasn’t so confident, so composed, so curious about future speaking opportunities.

Walk down memory lane with me for a moment, will you?

I remember reading a quote for my kindergarten graduation.

I was one of the first to read in my class. And I had the special honor of reading this quote—with a friend—to the entire graduating class & all their family members. At 5 years old, it was incredibly nerve-racking.

I remember introducing myself in every new class each time we moved to a new school.

For context, I went to 2 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, & 3 colleges. It was a lot for the shy, quiet kid who preferred spending recess sitting in the shade reading a book or walking laps around the gym.

I remember signing up for Public Speaking 101 in college.

What kind of ding dong registers themselves for things that feel uncomfortable? Me. I do. My dad said he used to turn red anytime he gave a speech & that his public speaking course helped him get over that. OK, let’s see if it works for me… (To be fair, it did help)

I remember handing in my application to work at Starbucks.

The place where you must shout the name + order of every customer who comes through. I didn’t know my way around a coffee maker (to the horrified looks of my shift manager, Sarah).

I remember that time I auditioned to be a Pure Barre instructor.

I’d never used a headset mic (didn’t even know that’s what they called it). The music was the wrong tempo, I wasn’t given a script to practice beforehand, & the lead instructor was known to be one of the toughest instructors at that location.

I remember that time I pitched my couples massage workshop idea to the yoga studio owner.

Yes, Brittany, of course you could offer this! And you can lose your voice the day of the event. The event which you have 7 couples signed up for. Woohoo! They get to show up to hear a whispering instructor. *facepalm*

This was when I was in love with all things fitness because also…

I remember the weekend I trained to teach TRX.

I thought I’d never remember the names of the moves or figure out how to structure a 30-minute class.

I remember that time I decided to create a CE massage course.

And had to do a run through with only 3-weeks notice because the instructions were super unclear. I asked my former massage program director if I could teach her class the program & she instantly said yes.

I also remember:

The praise from TRX students—the foam roller cool down was their fave.
The smiles on the faces of customers as they realized I’d already made their grande peppermint matcha latte with almond milk.
How excited the massage students were to hear how they could build a practice “just like yours, Brittany!”
The laughter & kindness that filled the yoga studio during the couples massage workshop.
How proud I was that I knew every single piece of choreography for that Pure Barre audition (because I was obsessed with PB workouts for years!).
The bible verse I read on that kindergarten graduation stage til this day.
My relief when that Public Speaking course was over, hah! And how gracious the instructor was. My family used to see him & his wife on Sundays for years after.
Those times I stood & shouted from the top of chairs & lunch tables to get my bandmates to quiet down. Scared everyone 😂 it was magical.

These days, I seek out public speaking opportunities like:
→ Podcast interviews

→ Guest teaching

→ Virtual conferences

And these are my 5 tips if you, too, want to find, pitch, & nail speaking gigs like these!

Start small
When I started seeking out speaking opportunities, I went for things like podcast interviews & Instagram lives. Events with small or small-ish audiences in an environment I was comfortable with. I didn’t go for the big, in-person stages. In fact, I’ve been in business for 10 years now and only this year did I start even pitching those in-person speaking events.
Block off the rest of the day
It’s called recovery, friend. And you’ll learn you need that time. That time is precious. It’s filled with food, Ted Lasso, & naps—or workouts. Don’t even try to pull a Brittany and be all like, “I’m fine! I can just do work after.” Nope. If you manage to do something productive later in the day, cool! Congrats. But let’s just assume between the two of us that you’ll be a happy potato the rest of the day, k?
Remember the audience just wants you to help them
I turn red. I make jokes. I welcome questions. And I want the audience involved. Partially because it makes me feel like the spotlight is less on me for a hot second. But mostly because I like to touch on a variety of learning styles. One of which is doing (kinesthetic). Whatever you do, however you deliver what you’ve got to share—the people on Zoom or planted in those seats just want you to help them do a thing. If you do that, you’ve already won!
Choose your outfit wisely (for my heat-sensitive friends)
OK, so yes, I turn red. Sometimes I look like a happy tomato by the end of my chats. Could have been that the a/c never got turned on before your May 15th presentation (just a guess…). Or maybe you glanced at someone and you thought they were judging you based on their facial expression & the flames of hell started to rise from your chest to your cheeks (again, a guess…). However you display your heat sensitivity—turning red, shaking, sweating—you’re more likely to maintain your confidence if you are in the appropriate outfit. For me that = high neckline with a high bun.
Pick your topics
Maybe the very most important piece of info I have for you is this one. Because once I narrowed in on the 2–3 topics you can’t get me to shut up about—I was a goner for speaking. I had something to say, I wanted to answer questions, I wouldn’t lose my train of thought, I was able to prepare (or not—because at some point it just became part of me). This is where my confidence really started to shine bright! Just last week I gave a talk after a morning filled with meeting a friend for coffee, running errands, & helping my boyfriend with a tech thing for his biz!

We’ve covered my history with speaking, my wise words of advice to you, so now—

Let me share my most recent speaking engagements!

With testimonials, because… it’s me 😂

The #PrettyAwkwardEntrepreneur Podcast w/ Megan Yelaney

Meg is a friend, my business coach, & all around amazing human!

And I was lucky enough to be a guest on her show in the early days of our friendship.

Pre-IRL-hug in Boston!

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again!

Meg is the entire reason this SEO-ified Sales Page Training + Template exists.

So check it out & thank her if you grab it! 😂

LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW W/ MEG: attract your ideal clients w/ SEO copywriting

Oh! And check out what Meg shared about having me on The #PrettyAwkwardEntrepreneur Podcast as a guest…

The Art of Online Business w/ Rick Mulready

I have lots more I want to write about this amazing experience, but for the purposes of this post I just wanna say—

I had a blast stumping Rick!

His testimonial says it all…

LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW W/ RICK: the secret to writing CASE STUDIES that sell

Which actually lead to…

The Make It Happen Virtual Conference w/ Jess Campbell

Story time!

Jess listened to my podcast interview with Rick, as I mentioned.

And she totally pulled a Brittany!

She hadn’t gotten far into the interview about case studies + SEO when she popped over to send me a DM in Instagram.

I’ve told you—I spend way too much time on IG!

And don’t you know… I was there! Responded immediately (asked her what she was cooking for dinner because she told me in her message that’s when she was listening to the podcast).

Jess coordinated SUCH an incredible virtual event for consultants & coaches in the nonprofit world!

I kinda had FOMO that I wasn’t already in that world to be honest…

I shared the stage with some amazing humans & friends.

And! I’m still getting LinkedIn connection requests from attendees with the NICEST messages about how they enjoyed my presentation. 🥰

psst: here’s what Jess shared about me as a guest speaker…

Shine Online Guest Expert Training w/ Delia Monk

Delia welcomed me into her Shine Online website copywriting program.

I shared my SEO Basics chat with these new friends!

One of which is chugging along nicely with her SEO strategy…

^^That progress happened in less than 24 hours!

Can’t forget to share what Delia had to say about my chat with her group…

Direct Sales Growth Community Training w/ Colleen

I saw the most hilarious Reel by Colleen (<< that isn’t the initial Reel, but doggonit, “Janet” is helping “Brittany” so… enjoy!) → Visited her Instagram profile

Where I saw she was looking for speakers for her Direct Sales Growth Community.

I DM’d her & the rest is history!

She was so kind & welcoming & I had such a fun time sharing with her peeps about SEO.