Being an extrovert has its perks.
Have you ever fantasized about being the center of attention at a networking event, leading a group of people in the successful completion of a significant project, or giving a speech in front of a vast audience, only to second-guess your dreams because, well, you’re shy?
1. Put Yourself Out There
Putting oneself out there is a great way to stop being a hermit and make a difference.
Putting yourself in social situations where you must perform or speak when you’d instead not help you become more comfortable.
Begin on a small scale by taking risks and engaging in activities just outside your current level of comfort.
Once you’ve mastered those, you can gradually advance to the next level.
When the time comes, you’ll be able to put on your extrovert persona with ease because you’ll already be used to doing it. Of course, the following procedures will be helpful to till you reach that stage.
2. Practice Makes Perfect, So Act Out To Become an Extrovert
Despite first impressions, honing your ability to talk to anyone is crucial if you want to be taken seriously as a skilled communicator.
In other words, when you prepare to talk to people, you are preparing for an act.
The upsides of this are twofold.
To begin, any skill may be honed with enough practice.
So, if you want to get better at chatting with others, all it takes is some practice.
As so, rehearsing in front of a mirror might serve as a stand-in for actually getting ready to perform.
Mental exercise has a lot of potential benefits as well.
Seeing yourself effortlessly striking up conversations with strangers or giving polished presentations in front of an audience might help you feel more confident and prepared for such situations in real life.
The second advantage of practice is in this area.
Understanding your social interactions as a performance can help you communicate more effectively in large groups or at social events.
You can detach yourself emotionally from the outcome of a discussion or speech if you approach it as a performance. And by separating, you may shield your pride from criticism.
3. Conduct Research on Self-Assurance and Extraversion
The Fearless Formula is a compilation of the advice of twenty or more professionals on how to put on an extroverted front.
If you are shy or introverted and are looking for a practical method to help you emerge as an extrovert, you have found the perfect location to begin your research.
You would be doing an excellent service by adding some of these top-notch books on self-assurance to your collection.
4. Learn to Listen Carefully
Ironically, this approach is perhaps the most efficient when talking to others.
It was from Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” that I gleaned this strategy.
When people feel heard and understood, they are more likely to view the listener favorably.
Essentially, when we pay close attention to what other people are saying and show genuine interest in them, they will also think we are friendly and intriguing.
Listening attentively also reduces anxiety about what you ‘should’ say next.
When we stop worrying about ourselves and start thinking about other people, they will be more interested in conversing with us.
It’s like magic; people will actively seek you to talk to and hang out with.
The confidence that comes from knowing that other people want to talk to us (because everyone’s favorite topic is, of course, themselves) makes striking up conversations with new individuals a breeze.
5. Be Remarkable in Conversation
Since they don’t feel they have anything in common, many people avoid making new friends.
The good news is that this problem has a straightforward solution.
Keeping up on current events is a simple approach to help you break out of your shell and interact more confidently with others.
Having an awareness of “the happenings of the day” might greatly improve your ability to strike up conversations with other people.
You’ll be more ready to chat freely with people if you’re well-prepared with information to discuss and topics others would be interested in learning more about or hearing your viewpoint on.
Your increased preparation will result in more confidence in yourself and your ability to strike up conversations with total strangers.
Be as outgoing as an extrovert by keeping up with the news and current events and being ready to give your thoughts on them.
6. You Need To Straighten Out Your Head If You Want To Be More Outgoing
Many introverts struggle with mental overload. We tend to overthink things because of the cerebral approach to processing information.
Unfortunately, this frequently manifests as endless monologues in our heads. Indeed, there are occasions when one’s own thoughts cause undue panic.
When an introvert is going to do something that scares them, their inner monologue might get quite loud.
Having a conversation with oneself in your head might make you more anxious, especially if you sound anxious when you do it. It may have a multiplicative impact.
Many introverts are paralyzed by the fear of “putting themselves out there” because of this snowball effect.
If you’re an introvert, you probably already get nervous quickly. Now imagine that voice inside your head shrieking at you. Don’t even think about it!” Reassurances that “it’s not going to work, you’re going to make a fool of yourself,” etc., are useless.
As a result, if you want to win this battle, you need to straighten your head first.
And meditation is the best technique to still the voice of skepticism inside your head.
The constant mental chatter can be quickly muzzled if you commit to a daily meditation practice.
Putting a stop to that inner disaster makes an experiment on extroverts much more manageable.
7. Picture Yourself as the Outgoing Person You Aspire to Be
Do not skip this if you are serious about learning how to become an extrovert.
Imagining yourself as the extroverted person you aspire to be is an excellent method for releasing your introverted side.
Be the outgoing persona you’ve always imagined yourself to be in your head.
That may seem obvious, but don’t underestimate the power of the human brain.
Visualizing the confidence, and outgoing you of your dreams gives your subconscious the green light to start making that you a reality.
If you don’t know where to start, follow Napoleon Hill’s Self-Confidence prescription.
It’s a potent instrument that can get you thinking and feeling more like your outgoing self.