What Grey’s Anatomy Creator, Shonda Rhimes, Can Teach Us Introverts about Public Speaking
By Lindsey Plewa-Schottland, Associate Director, Graduate Career Management Center Giving talks to 50 or more graduate students is a regular part of my job as a Career Coach. The difference between giving talks five years ago and now? I’m a lot less petrified. Getting more comfortable with public speaking is something I’ve had to work on, especially as an introvert who prefers to be in the audience then on the stage. I was recently reading “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person” by Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and self-identified introvert. As she wrote about the fear she faced in giving a commencement speech to the 2014 graduating class at Dartmouth, I identified with the rollercoaster of emotions leading up to the big day, as well as the tactics she used to not only get through it, but to feel confident in the process. Here’s what stood out for me. 1. “Whatever I’m going to say is not for m