If you tend to be shy and quiet, then you need to learn how to be more talkative as an introvert. And that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss today. I’m about to share with you the exact same advice that I teach to our clients in our social skills coaching program. This stuff works so make sure you stick around until the very end. My name is Myke Macapinlac, I help STEM professionals improve their social confidence. If you're new to the channel, remember to subscribe and hit the bell to be notified when I post a new video every single week. Let me just say that there’s nothing wrong with being reserved and introverted. But if you feel like it’s preventing you from connecting with others, then you need to improve your conversation skills as well. By doing so, you’ll be able to express yourself better and figure out how to be more outgoing. That being said, here are 13 actionable tips that you can implement right away. Alright, let's get into it. Tip #1 Appear more friendly As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. We all make snap judgments about people right away based on what we see. If you’re wondering how to be more talkative as an introvert, you have to look more approachable. Think about it. Would you want to talk to someone who’s slouching, have their arms cross and has a frown on their face? Probably not, right? That’s why you have to pay attention to how you’re coming across. In order to appear more friendly, remember to have a more open body language. Make an effort to stand up straight, and keep your arms to your side. Maintain proper eye contact and have a genuine smile on your face. When you look approachable, more people are going to be inclined to interact with you. Tip #2 Come up with things to talk about If you tend to have awkward silences during your interactions, then you need to prepare in advance. If you want to know how to be more talkative as an introvert, take the time to come up with stories that you can share. Doing so will help you feel less nervous when you interact with anybody. If you think about it, the same topics tend to come up in conversation over and over again anyway. That being said, prepare some stories regarding your work, your upbringing, places you’ve been to, events you’ve attended, and your interests. Try to stay up to date with current events as well. Visit a few reputable news websites so you’re aware of trending topics. The more stories you put together, the easier it’ll be for you to figure out how to never run out of things to say. You’ll experience less anxiety and be a lot more likely to speak up because you know you have something valuable to share. Tip #3 Be genuinely interested in others The truth is, we’re all inherently selfish. That’s why we like people who like us. If you want to figure out how to be more talkative as an introvert, you have to be genuinely interested in others. The next time you interact with someone, give them your full and undivided attention. Get out of your head, put your phone away, and be curious about them. Be present, actively listen and ask more open-ended questions. By doing this, you’ll make anybody you talk to feel more seen, heard, and understood. They’ll leave the interaction feeling good and they’ll look forward to seeing you again. By being interested in others, they’ll be interested in you as well. Tip #4 Stop filtering yourself The fear of being judged prevents most people from speaking up. They’re so afraid of looking bad that they pressure themselves to say something clever all the time. If you want to know how to be more talkative as an introvert, you have to not care so much. Believe it or not, most people don’t notice you as often as you might assume. Not to mention, everyone’s so concerned about themselves anyway. Even if you say something silly, others would’ve forgotten about you by the time they get home. That’s why you need to stop overanalyzing everything. Quiet your inner critic and always challenge your assumptions. By doing so, you’ll realize that nothing is ever as bad as you may think. Keep this in mind and you’ll figure out how to be less self-conscious. As a result, you’ll act more like yourself in any social situation. Tip #5 Avoid giving short responses Most people who struggle socially make the mistake of being so brief when they share something. If that sounds like you, people will find it hard to interact with you. You’re not giving them a whole lot to work with. If you’re wondering how to be more talkative as an introvert, avoid giving one-word answers. For example, let’s say someone asks you what you do for fun. Feel free to elaborate on your response. Talk about what got you into your hobby, how it makes you feel, and what you like about it. By giving the other person more information, that could trigger other potential topics that both of you can discuss. This will prevent any lull in conversation and will make your interactions feel more effortless. Tip #6 Work on your delivery At the end of the day, it’ll be hard for anybody to hear you if you’re too soft-spoken. Remember, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it matters too. In order to hold people’s attention, you need to work on your delivery as well. That being said, make sure you raise your energy slightly the next time you talk to someone. You also have to get comfortable speaking louder. To project your voice, talk from your stomach and not from your chest. Use your hands to accentuate what you’re saying and vary your tonality as well. Doing so will make you appear like a captivating storyteller. If you’re not used to talking in this manner, just keep at it. I recommend you practice in front of the mirror and try recording yourself as well. That way, you can get a better feel for your delivery. By doing this consistently, you’ll improve the way you communicate eventually. Tip #7 Comment on your surroundings If you want to learn how to be more talkative as an introvert, try to be more observant. Make an effort to notice what’s happening around you. Use your environment to help you come up with potential topics that you can discuss. For this to work, you have to get good at making associations with whatever you see. Ask yourself what else it reminds you of. By being observant and making simple remarks, you’ll figure out how to not be quiet all the time. Tip #8 Ask better questions The quality of your questions will determine the quality of your interactions. If you want to know how to be more talkative as an introvert, you need to ask more open ended questions. By doing this, you’ll prompt whoever you’re conversing with to keep sharing. That way, you’ll have more information to work with. For example, instead of asking “do you like sushi?” you can ask “what’s your favourite dish?” Do you see the difference? The first question is a closed-ended question which can be answered with a yes or no. The second one encourages the person you’re chatting with to talk about themselves in greater detail. That could potentially open up other conversation threads that you could discuss as well. As mentioned before, the more information you have to work with, the easier it’ll be for you to come up with things to talk about. Tip #9 Lead the conversation Making small talk for introverts is painful because most of them don’t know how to transition out of it. That’s why their interactions stall and don’t go anywhere. If you want to figure out how to be more talkative as an introvert, you need to speak with purpose. In order to lead the conversation, you have to know where you want it to go. To help you with this, ask yourself what are things that you know a lot about and enjoy discussing with others? Once you’re aware of your preferred conversation topics, all you have to do is to communicate in a way that will bring those up. For example, let’s say you want to talk about traveling. If that’s the case, you can ask the person you’re chatting with what’s the best place they’ve visited and what they like about it. And now, you’ve easily lead the conversation into a subject that you’re interested in. By doing this, you’ll be able to have more meaningful conversations with anybody you talk to. Tip #10 Open up more In order for people to trust you, they have to like you. And in order for them to like you, they have to know you. That’s why you have to open up and let them see who you really are. Don’t be afraid to tell people what’s actually going on in your life. That being said, you have to find the balance between being vulnerable and sharing too much information. My advice is to open up incrementally by sharing a small secret about yourself. Gauge the other person’s feedback and see if they reciprocate. By being vulnerable first, you encourage the other person to open up as well. If you want to figure out how to bond and build deeper friendships, this is one of the best ways to do it. Tip #11 Bring up earlier topics At some point in your conversation, you’re going to reach the end of a specific subject. You either don’t know much about it or you don’t feel like talking about it any longer. If you’re wondering how to be more talkative as an introvert, you have to make a pivot. One of the best ways to do it is to bring up earlier topics. To make this work, just think of something that was mentioned before that you were curious about. Again, make sure you ask more open-ended questions. That way, the person you’re talking to has to explain themselves more. You can also ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. You can say things like “tell me more about that?” or “what’s that like?” At this point, you’ve removed the pressure on yourself to always have to come up with what to talk about. All you have to do is to follow your curiosity, keep asking open-ended questions, and sharing related stories. Tip #12 Politely interrupt others If you want to know how to be more talkative as an introvert when you’re in a big crowd, you have to stop hesitating so much. If you think about it, a group conversation tends to be pretty chaotic to begin with. That being said, you have to get comfortable politely interrupting others every now and then. What you’ll want to do is to use your body language to gesture that you want to say something. And then speak up as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Like I said earlier, raise your energy when you speak to hold the attention of the group. Talk louder and use your hands to accentuate your points when you tell your stories. Doing this will definitely require some practice so be patient with yourself. Tip #13 Have interactions regularly Interacting with others can be intimidating if you’re not used to it. If you want to learn how to be more talkative as an introvert, you have to put your reps in. My advice is to start small and practice in easier settings first. That way, you get some quick wins and build momentum in the right direction. For example, you can make small talk with the barista when you get your coffee. Feel free to chit-chat with the cashier at the grocery store. You can strike up a conversation with the driver the next time you take an Uber. By taking action consistently, you’ll gain a lot of positive reference experiences. Over time, you’ll develop your social confidence and figure out how to put yourself out there. And once you do, you never have to worry about missing out on opportunities to connect with people ever again. If you're shy and technically skilled and you want to know how to approach and talk to anybody, remember to download your free social confidence cheat sheet. The link is in the description below. If you're you're tired of struggling socially and you want to learn more about our social skills coaching program, book your free consultation today and let's connect. The link is in the description below as well. If you like this video, go ahead and hit the like button, subscribe and share it with someone who you know could benefit from it. And now, let's turn it to you. Which one of these tips are you going to implement first? Are you going to come up with things to talk about or are you going to open up more? Leave me a comment below and let me know. Alright, that's it for me for now and I'll see you in the next video.