Ep 183 - Confident Personal Branding for Introverts with Tanya Goodall Smith

Are you an introvert struggling with personal branding or public speaking? Tune in to Episode 183 of The Quiet And Strong Podcast, where host David Hall sits down with Tanya Goodall Smith to discuss the unique challenges and strengths of introverts in the realms of personal branding and public speaking.

Listeners will learn how introverts can excel in public speaking with adequate preparation, and how to effectively use their strengths such as research, planning, intuition, introspection, and empathy to build a compelling personal brand. Tanya shares insights from her book, "The Introvert's Guide to Personal Branding," inspired by her personal experiences and business struggles.

This episode is packed with actionable advice and personal stories that underscore the importance of self-acceptance and leveraging one's unique strengths. Don't miss out on this empowering conversation that can help you embrace your introversion and be strong.

Episode Link: QuietandStrong.com/183

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Tanya Goodall Smith is the author of "The Introvert's Guide to Personal Branding: How to Put Yourself Out There Without Changing Who You Are." Tanya founded WorkStory Creative, an agency that helps introverts who are evolving their business create an elevated brand vision and bring it to life. Her 20+ year career began at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, which led to design jobs with international brands like HP, Disney and GUESS. She has served on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners, was a finalist in Maria Sharipova’s Women’s Entrepreneur Program and is a Brand Builder’s Group Certified Personal Branding Strategist. Beyond business, Tanya loves crew rowing, dance classes and classic films. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 20 years and three busy kids.

Connect with Tanya:

Website: WorkstoryCreative.com
Tanya's Book: The Introvert's Guide To Personal Branding: How To Put Yourself Out There Without Changing Who You Are
Socials: Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram | Pinterest

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Contact the Host of the Quiet and Strong Podcast:

David Hall

Author, Speaker, Educator, Podcaster

quietandstrong.com
Gobio.link/quietandstrong
david [at] quietandstrong.com

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Transcript

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:00:00]:
I worked with a business kind of strategist for a while, and we did, like, a personality test. And, you know, I was pretty high on the introvert scale. And this was when I was starting the branding photography part of my business. And they were saying, you know, most photographers are out there. They're really boisterous. Introverted. And I feel like they're introverted. And I feel like many of them do not feel that way.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:00:29]:
They feel like they're introverted and like to be behind the camera. Right? Like, we don't wanna be in front of the camera. So but I what I wondered. I was like, am I gonna fail at this business? Because I don't have a big personality. But I just decided then and there. I was like, well, I have strengths that's gonna help me be a good photographer. Right? Like I connect well with people 1 on 1. So the 1 on 1 stuff I really love doing, and that is a strength of introverts is connecting 1 on 1.

David Hall [00:01:09]:
Hello, and welcome to episode 183 of the Quiet and Strong podcast, especially for introverts. I'm your host, David Hall and the creator of quietandstrong.com. It's a weekly podcast dedicated to understanding the strengths and needs of introverts along with strategies for success. Introversion is not something to fix, but to be embraced. Normally, we will air each episode on a Monday. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform. Leave a review or a rating. That would mean a lot to me and help others find the show.

David Hall [00:01:39]:
Tell a friend about the podcast, and help get the word out there that introversion is a beautiful thing. Tanya Goodall Smith is the author of the introvert's guide to personal branding, how to put yourself out there without changing who you are. Tanya founded WorkStory Creative, an agency that helps introverts who are evolving their business create an elevated brand vision, and bring it to life. Her 20 plus year career began at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, which led to design jobs with international brands like HP, Disney, and Guess. She has served on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners, was a finalist in Maria Sharapova's woman entrepreneur program, and is a Brand Builders Group certified personal branding strategist. Beyond business, Tanya loves crew rowing, dance lessons, and classic films. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 20 years and 3 busy kids. Alright.

David Hall [00:02:42]:
Well, welcome to the Quiet and Strong podcast, Tanya. It's so good to have you on today.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:02:47]:
I'm so excited to be here.

David Hall [00:02:48]:
You've written a great book, and we're gonna get into that. There's some things that the approach, you know, honor your introversion in your approach, and we're gonna get into that as we talk today. But first, tell us about your self and your journey to you know, as an introvert to the work that you're doing now.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:03:06]:
Sure. Yes. So I started freelancing in 2000, 2006, I guess, and realized I didn't know anything about running a business, number 1.

David Hall [00:03:19]:
Okay. Like, I bought a book

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:03:21]:
that was, like, the creatives like, how to run a creative business or something like that. Like, that's that's where I learned how to make a contract and, like, all that kind of stuff. So but, anyway, then getting clients was really difficult. Like, I, you know, really struggled going to networking things or meeting people in general. You know, I would just kinda like to stay home. So through the process of running my own business, I had to learn how to do that kind of thing and go out and meet people. And I don't remember exactly when I learned the term introvert, but just knowing that that's a thing and that I identified with that really helped me to learn about myself and how I could you know, why I had those struggles, I guess. It helped me understand that.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:04:10]:
And then I was able to try to work around that and be able to grow my business by meeting people. And eventually it became fun for me. Like, I still don't love to constantly go out to things, but I I carefully choose where I want to show up and the people I want to connect with. And so, so having my business has been the catalyst to, to being able to overcome that kind of thing. Because it, it hindered me in my social, like my personal life too. Right? Going to weddings or that kind of thing. I had a lot of anxiety about meeting people. And so I've been able to overcome a lot of that by learning about being an introvert and overcoming some of those things.

David Hall [00:04:53]:
Yeah. Tell us a little bit more about the work that you do, about your business.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:04:56]:
Sure. So I am a branding strategist, designer, and branding photographer. So all things branding, And I work with mostly solo business owners or very small service businesses and recently decided I wanna work with introverts. I I kind of I tend to well, I don't know. I guess my clients are kind of all over the board as far as that goes, but I feel like I really identify with them. I'm able to help them draw themselves out and share their message with the world more fully. And so, yeah, I help introverts now with their personal branding.

David Hall [00:05:34]:
Alright. Yeah. We're gonna talk about your book. Yeah. So as far as introversion goes, though, was it something that you had to embrace? And how did you do that, if so?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:05:47]:
Yeah. So I remember I worked with a business kind of strategist for a while, and we did like a personality, you know, one of those tests. And, you know, I was pretty high on the introvert scale. And this was when I was starting the branding photography part of my business. And they were saying, you know, most photographers are out there. They're really boisterous. They're big personalities, and you might struggle. And I was like, okay.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:06:12]:
Like, now I don't think that's true. Because I've met a lot of them. And I feel like many of them do not feel that way. They feel like they're introverted and like to be behind the camera. Right? Like, we don't wanna be in front of the camera. So but I I wondered. I was like, am I gonna fail at this business? Because I don't have a big personality. But I just decided then and there, I was like, well, I have strengths.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:06:34]:
That's gonna help me be a good photographer. Right? Like I connect well with people 1 on 1. I don't like doing the wedding photography. I figured that out early on. I did some, you know, one summer and decided this is not for me. So the 1 on 1 stuff I really love doing, and that is a strength of introverts is connecting 1 on 1. So I don't remember the question now. Kinda went off on the tangent.

David Hall [00:07:01]:
No. It's just just like, did you have to learn to embrace it? Like, sometimes on the on the show, someone says not everybody, but sometimes people say and this includes me. I felt like something was wrong with me. Did you go through that?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:07:14]:
Yeah. I feel like as a child, especially, my mom is really extroverted. She's so friendly. She you know, she'll talk to anyone. And she, like, thought something was wrong with me because I didn't like to talk on the phone forever with my friend or invite people over all the time. And this kind of thing was less understood that there's two sides of this, some kind of scale. And so I did for a long time think there was something wrong with me, you know? And so I, yeah, I did learn to embrace it. That's what my book is about a lot is, you know, you don't have to change who you are to be successful as a networker or as a personal brand.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:07:50]:
And so, but it took me time to learn that and to accept that and learn some strategies for being successful.

David Hall [00:07:58]:
Yeah. And I love that about your book because it's it's a book that anybody can learn from on branding. But you have the introverted advice within your book. It's like, you know, as an introvert, here's how you can leverage your strengths. And I love that about about your book because there's so many things, like, here's the one approach that everybody has to take. And, honestly, like, as an introvert, we can succeed at anything. Mhmm. But we're probably gonna succeed differently than our extroverted friends and colleagues.

David Hall [00:08:30]:
You know? And that's that's the message of your book. It's like, here's how you do it. And within the book, it's like, here's how you do it as an introvert and really shine, and I I love that about your book.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:08:42]:
Thank you.

David Hall [00:08:44]:
So you mentioned the strength because a lot of times people think that we don't wanna connect, and that's ridiculous. Everybody needs to connect, but we do better in 1 on 1. And, you know, as a branding specialist, you can really connect with that person 1 on 1 and find out, you know, what they need and and and just really, you know, draw that out of them and and help them with their branding. And it's a strength. And, you know, you may not want to go to the large networking event with a 100 strangers. I know I don't. And we'll talk about that too because you have some advice there too. So are there any other strengths that you you want to say that you have because you're an introvert?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:09:25]:
Yeah. So I love doing research. I think that's a pretty common trait for some introverts. You know? I really love to like the big picture. I'm a planner, you know, really think about things before I jump into them. And that's a strength I feel like, especially for the branding. I really dig deep identifying the strengths of other people and really intuitive, could kind of see things that other people don't see. So that's a big one.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:09:55]:
I also think let's see here. What are some other ones? We tend to be introspective. Right? Really looking inside of ourselves. Also empathetic, I think, because of that. So, yeah, those are some that I definitely utilize in my business and my life.

David Hall [00:10:12]:
Cool. And then are is there a particular need that you've identified because you're an introvert that you need to have?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:10:19]:
Oh, sure.

David Hall [00:10:20]:
Yeah.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:10:20]:
Yeah. So definitely quiet alone time. Right? Like, I don't mind going out to a crowd for a little bit, you know, going to a party, having fun. But I I know when I'm done. Right? And I have no problem now leaving early. Like, done. See you guys later. You know, or in the past I might've just stuck it out till the end and just been really irritable and tired and, and stuff like that.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:10:44]:
So I plan in my weeks and my days, you know, time to rest. If I have a lot of calls one day or a lot of meetings, I will just plan it in my calendar. Okay. And I'm gonna be tired after this. So I'm gonna go recharge by reading a book or taking a nap or just sitting around doing nothing. So, yeah, that's probably the biggest one, just guarding my energy so that I'm not exhausted all the time.

David Hall [00:11:08]:
Yeah. Do you have any other time and energy management tips as an introvert?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:11:13]:
Yes. So, well, like they said, the scheduling is a big one, and just knowing in advance. Right? Let's see what else. I'm I feel I feel like I'm constantly kind of adjusting that, you know, like, seeing how it goes. For a long time, I was like, what if I do all my calls on one day? And then the other days, I don't, but I found I didn't like that. And then I was like, what if I do a few calls every day? I also didn't like that. So, you know, just finding what works for you with your energy. And let's see.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:11:42]:
I'm kind of drawing a blank on others. I know there are. So how about you? What are some things you do?

David Hall [00:11:50]:
Yeah. The schedule is really important. Yeah. You know, and looking at definitely looking I like to say it's important to look at your week and, like, okay. What what does drain me? What does energize me? You know? Plugging in some times. Like, okay. I have this particular presentation I'm giving. I'm gonna enjoy it, but afterward, I'm gonna need some downtime.

David Hall [00:12:14]:
Yep. And I'm gonna try and plug that in. Or even this podcast, I I recorded one earlier today, so this is my second one. And I, you know, I'm definitely I I think I'm really gonna enjoy this conversation. I am enjoying this conversation, but afterward, I'm gonna take a break. Yeah. And but it's important to get that on the calendar that, you know, that I don't have something scheduled right after this because that would back to back things like this would would really drain me and I wouldn't be very effective either.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:12:44]:
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Me too. I think that's the biggest thing. Just learning how to schedule for yourself.

David Hall [00:12:50]:
Yeah. How do you recharge? What's your favorite way to recharge?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:12:55]:
Oh, let's see. Well, I really like films, classic films. I think that the storyteller in me likes to, you know, enjoy the story, analyze the story and the visuals. Right? I like reading. I'm in a dance class. I guess that's, that's more of my social time, but I really love it. It's my favorite day of my week. Like, I block that out and go it's a small group of other moms, and we get our exercise in.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:13:23]:
Cool. So that's social time, but also a small group. Like right? We like small groups, and I kind of get I get energized from connecting with people, which is probably a myth too, right? Like, people think introverts just want to sit alone at home all the time. But it's not true. You know?

David Hall [00:13:41]:
Yeah. It's So

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:13:43]:
that's my soul, having that small group of people that I know meeting with every week. So

David Hall [00:13:49]:
Yeah. And that's the thing. We absolutely wanna connect. It's just gonna look different. You know, where we want to be with a small group of friends or or acting or interacting 1 on 1. You know, we can do the other things and there's strategies to do other things. But, you know, what's our preference? And it's it's it's just it's just a little different. We wanna have deeper conversations.

David Hall [00:14:15]:
You know? We could do small talk, but for the most part, we don't wanna stay there. You know? We wanna move on to deeper things that we care about with someone else that cares about those deeper things. So, yeah, that's a great myth because we were definitely gonna bust some myths today. That's the important part of this show. Do you have any other myths that you wanna bust about introverts?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:14:33]:
Let's see. So, yeah, I recently went to a big a big event, but my friend does these events for mom. She's a extrovert. I I tend to gravitate toward ex extroverts

David Hall [00:14:44]:
Okay.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:14:44]:
Sometimes. Right? Like, they kinda draw me out a little bit. But we were it was the end of the event. We were having kind of a a dinner with a bunch of women. It's loud. And I was getting to that point where I was like, okay. I'm ready to go, and I was the first one to leave. But I was chatting with her.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:14:57]:
She's like, I saw you over there just, like, making friends. And I really connected with this woman sitting across from me, and she's like, you're not an introvert. And I'm like, okay. You're like, yeah. Like I said, that, you know, they think you just wanna kinda be by yourself. But I was okay being there for a while and and really made a connection. Let's see. I think the myth that we don't, we don't like people.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:15:18]:
Right? That's totally not true. And let's see what else. Not knowing oh, public speaking, I think people think, oh, you're an introvert. You don't want to be a speaker, which I I mean, that's the number one fear of every person in the in the statistically, in the world is public speaking. But for me, I prefer to be a speaker because I can practice it in advance. I know what I'm gonna say. I'm not fighting for attention in a conversation. So I think that's another myth.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:15:50]:
And if you're an introvert who is afraid of that, I challenge you to to try it out or consider it if you're listening today. But those are those are some big ones that I think are important.

David Hall [00:16:02]:
Yeah. It's funny. And I'll add a myth that tells why we like to do public speaking. There's a myth that we don't have anything to say. Right. And that's wrong because we're always thinking, so we have lots to say. It just has to be, you know, in the right format. And I love public speaking too.

David Hall [00:16:20]:
I I normally don't get nervous. I enjoy it.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:16:23]:
Right.

David Hall [00:16:23]:
And it's a chance to share your message. What helped me because I I haven't always been confident. I haven't always been confident in public speaking, but I learned that I have to prepare differently as an introvert. I have to prepare pretty hard, you know, before. And even with the podcast. I love this podcast, but I definitely do some preparation. I read your book, and, you know, we talked about some things we questions that we might ask. The preparation is so important.

David Hall [00:16:52]:
But once you do that, you know, you can really share those ideas that you have. So I love public speaking, and I think that it's that's definitely you busted some great miss there. So let's get into your book. I'm gonna read the whole title. The introvert's guide to personal branding, how to put yourself out there without changing who you are. So what made you write this book?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:17:17]:
Well, I knew I wanted to write a well, I wanted to write books for since I was a child and just never wrote 1. And I I knew I wanted to write 1 to promote my business. And I have a little mastermind group, and we were trying to I well, I knew I wanted to be about personal branding, but I didn't you know, I'm like, how do I make this different than just, like, how to build your personal brand? Right? So we talked about my, you know, my experiences. What are what's something I overcame that I could share with people and not just came up? You know? Like, I've really I really struggled with this in building my business and overcame it and feel like it's a strength now to connect with people and share my business and even do sales and go to networking. Right. So that was that's how it came to me. And I for a while, I, I was on the fence. I was like, I don't want to be like the introvert expert.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:18:05]:
I wanna be the personal branding expert. But now I've really kind of embraced it and feel like it's a a niche that I kind of struggled to have a really specific niche in the past, and it's really resonating with people. So I feel like it was the right way to go.

David Hall [00:18:20]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And half the population, maybe even slightly more, are introverts.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:18:26]:
Mhmm.

David Hall [00:18:26]:
And it's just very often misunderstood. And the approach, just like we said like, for me, I realized my approach in preparation for public speaking is different. You know? And the way you, you know, the way you do branding, the way you put yourself out there as an introvert, there's some different strategies that you can be very successful. But if I try and compare myself to an extrovert that's trying to do the same thing, the strategies are gonna look different. Right. So in your book, you write about brainstorming. So tell us what brainstorming is when you're helping your clients.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:19:06]:
Yeah. So the brainstorm is the first step when we work together and it's, about a 2 hour interview. We go through a ton of questions, and I really dig deep into your superpowers, the solutions you have, who your target audience is, which a lot of times I ask that question. Like, I just met with a real estate agent and, you know, I'm like, who's your target audience? She said people who need to buy or sell a house. Right? And she didn't really know. I was like, is there anything they have in common? And she she wasn't sure. And so what I had you know, I dug in deeper, and we actually really defined it. You know, she's in Seattle.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:19:45]:
They all work at Microsoft or Amazon. Many of them drive a Subaru. Like, they're down to earth. They're buying $2,000,000 homes in in very specific area. They have kids. You know, like, we really, really dialed in, and knowing that is gonna help drive the brand, the messaging, the advertising, all of that stuff. So, you know, I could give people the questions I ask them. No problem.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:20:08]:
Like, here's the questions. But having me to guide you and draw out more of the answers really helps us come to answers you might not have thought of. I a lot of times I get people say, oh, that's a really good question. I never thought of that. So that's the brand storm. So that becomes the basis of anything that we develop further. So logo design, colors, fonts, messaging. I do copywriting, website storm because that's the preparation part.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:20:44]:
Right? We need to have the solid foundation of, of a strategy before we create anything. And I, I feel like having all those branding elements for an introvert is super helpful because when people go to your website, hopefully we're pre selling you and really portraying what you have to offer, who it's for before you even get on a call with people. So you're not wasting time doing the small talk and trying to, you know, trying to convince people or or tell them who you are. It's all done in advance. That's one of my strategies for introverts, I guess.

David Hall [00:21:23]:
K. Further describe for everybody, like, what is a brand identity? What does that mean?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:21:29]:
Sure. Yeah. So I like to describe a brand identity as a person. If we thought of your brand as a person, what are they wearing? What kind of music do they listen to? Where do they live? That's how we can describe your brand. So especially a personal brand, like often it's kind of like you, but we want to think about how that relates to your customer. So, you know, we want to create, well, I mean, your brand identity really is any, anything about your brand that's forward facing that the the public is seeing or experiencing or hearing about you. So but having those visual elements and the wording becomes the foundation for any of that stuff. So if you don't really have it defined, you can kind of be all over the place with what you're putting out there into the world.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:22:19]:
So I hope that answered the question.

David Hall [00:22:22]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And then specifically specifically about introverts, why is an online presence important? Are there challenges for introverts? You know, what's your advice with social media, all those things?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:22:35]:
Yeah. So like I said, having your messaging really dialed in, then you don't have to be thinking on the spot what to say to people. You, yeah, you're kind of pre selling yourself or attracting the right audience by the things you're, by your brand identity. And that can help us as introverts because we're not I feel like it saves energy. Right? We're not having to constantly be talking to people, reinventing the wheel. And it's just it's the pre preparation. It's out there and ready to have your message out there without you having to physically show up all the time.

David Hall [00:23:20]:
Yeah. What's your advice for social media? Like, is is there I mean, it's gonna be different for everybody. I know. But Right. What's some general advice for Yeah. Getting yourself out there online?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:23:31]:
Right. So I have a chapter in there about your online presence in social media. I feel like introverts go one of 2 ways. For me, I like social media because I'm at home interacting with people that aren't physically in the space with me. Other introverts don't wanna be on camera. They hate social media. So I guess identifying which one you are and then coming up with a strategy for how to best utilize your talent. So for me, I I love creating content, you know, doing reels.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:24:02]:
I don't know. I was resistant to reels for a long time, but seems to be the way things are going. I just plan in advance or, you know, maybe practice what I'm gonna say. They're short, which is good. Right? You know, like a minute. So you don't have to have a lot to say. If you don't like social media, having a plan where I mean, you need to be there, right, on some platform wherever your audience is. So maybe you have one day where you create content or you decide I'm just gonna post one thing a week, just so you're there.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:24:32]:
So a lot of what I do in the brand storm is help people decide, you know, what is your strategy gonna be for marketing? Is social media really important or can you do the bare minimum? Is it something you should be doing a lot of? And then from there, you can come up with a plan that's gonna work with your strengths. You know, maybe you're a better writer than speaker, so you can do a lot of blogging. You can write your posts. You can do email marketing. If you're not a great writer, do more of the videos and stuff like that. So just identifying your strengths and then making a plan that fits.

David Hall [00:25:06]:
Okay. And what part does photography play in all this? How important is it to have some good photography in your in your brand?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:25:15]:
Oh, yeah. So for a personal brand, especially, I recommend you have great photos more than even a logo. If you, you know, you're like, okay. I can only afford 1, go with the photos because your face is your is your brand. Right? Like, when we think of Oprah, we don't think of her logo. We think of her face. So personal branding photography is really important for anyone's personal brand. But especially for an introvert, if you've got, you know, these great photos created in advance, you can use them for your communications without having to show up.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:25:46]:
So and I I like to plan, you know, what is that messaging that we've created for you, and how can we visually show a lot of those things with your photos? So so you have them. Right? That's another strategy for social media. You don't have to be like, oh my gosh. What am I gonna post? What photo am I gonna use? You just have a library of them already ready, and You can reuse them. You know, people worry about that. Like, I already used this photo. I have clients that have been using their pictures for, like, 3 years, and it's fine. You know? Like, it goes with their messaging.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:26:18]:
As long as you, you know, as long as it's not too long and you don't look the same anymore. You know, like it's good to update them as much as you can, but don't feel bad about reusing your photos. Yeah.

David Hall [00:26:29]:
Is that part of your brainstorming, like, planning out, like, your photos and, you know, how that will contribute to the message that you wanna share?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:26:36]:
So, I mean, usually, that's so after the brainstorm, that's when, like, I kind of present a plan to you with of the things that you need. So oftentimes, a photo shoot will be included. If I'm using someone or if I'm not using if I'm working with someone who's not in my area, I'll usually recommend, you know, they go find a photographer. I could help them find the right photographer. And then we'd usually plan out your shot list. But having, you know, your keywords, your strengths, the things you offer, all of that dialed into the brainstorm, that's kind of half the work. When you're going into plan planning your photography, you kind of already have that. And then you can just decide, you know, where does this photo shoot need to take place? What exact shots do I need? What should I wear? All that kind of stuff.

David Hall [00:27:19]:
Yeah. And do you have clients that are fearful of having their picture taken? They don't like the way they look in their pictures?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:27:26]:
Yeah. Pretty much everyone. Yes. Okay. Taken. Unless you're like I don't know. Sometimes the extroverts are more open to it. Right? They they wanna be in the spotlight oftentimes or show up a little more confidently.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:27:40]:
But for for the most part, everyone I focus is like, I'm not photogenic, but I I always say everyone's photogenic if they have the right photographer. Someone who knows how to how to pose you, how to draw out your best personality. And and my I feel like one of my strengths, like I said before, is connecting with people and making them feel comfortable. So that really draws people out. And I get a lot of repeat clients because of that. They say, you know, I really felt comfortable with you. I love my photos. And so they come back again and again.

David Hall [00:28:16]:
Yeah. That's amazing. So in your book, we you talk about a lot of different areas that maybe some introverts struggle with. And and we talked about public speaking that, you know, we busted it that introverts could be great public speakers. What other advice do you have about public speaking, especially when it comes to introverts?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:28:36]:
Yeah. So, well, number 1, honing your skills. Right? Which takes practice. You could go to, like, Toastmasters or something, which is still on my list. Of things to do. Like, I actually I don't think I'm an amazing public speaker. I could use some practice and help improving, but I prepare, like you said. Sometimes I I like to use slides, which, you know, amazing put amazing speakers often don't use slides, but I'm I'm not an amazing speaker yet.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:29:05]:
So I like to use slides. It prompts me for what to say. There's visual representations of of the thought that I'm conveying. Let's see what else. Making sure you're in front of your audience. You know? You know, people wanna hear what you have to say. You can remind yourself I'm an expert, especially if someone sought you out to speak. You know? Just like people want me here.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:29:31]:
They sought me out. They know I'm an expert. I have something important to share. That's a foundational in the book, the first thing I talk about is knowing what you have to offer is special, you know, and that you're going to be helping people and knowing your why for why, why you wanna put yourself out here. If it's gonna be uncomfortable, why are you doing it? So I try to remember that when I go out to speak. Like, I have something special and important to share with people, and that gives me confidence.

David Hall [00:30:00]:
Yeah. That's key because there is a reason why you're speaking. You know? You are the expert whether it's in your a work setting or, you know, giving a speech to many people. There's a reason why you're doing that, and so you should feel confident that you do have some important things to say. Right. And, also, you brought an I mean, you know what? Something that's really helped me is, like, I'm not perfect, but nobody is. Yeah. And as introverts, we have a gift of reflection.

David Hall [00:30:32]:
So afterward, you know, think about it. You know? What what did what how did that go? What did I do well? I I like to always start with the what did I do well part. Right. And then, you know, how can I do better? That kind of thing. Yep. Then what part does storytelling play in all this, and how can we be great storytellers?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:30:50]:
Yeah. Storytelling is huge. The name of my business is Work Story Creative. So that's a big focus in the in the photography, in the branding, in the messaging. And speaking, you know, the best speakers in the world start with a story big because it's captivating to humans. We like to know about the characters. We like to, you know, we like to follow a plot. We wanna know what the ending is.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:31:15]:
It's just it's part of our our brains, our nature. It's why we like books and TV shows. You know? So starting with the story that's relevant to your point is really gonna captivate your audience. It's gonna help them remember what you have to say. In my book, I tried to tell a lot of personal stories and stories of my clients to help people relate. And I think that's the feedback I've gotten already is, like, this is really funny. I really relate with it. You know, some of the stories I tell just how people feel like, oh, yeah.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:31:46]:
I have the same experience. So storytelling is huge. Try to think of some good stories.

David Hall [00:31:53]:
Yeah. And in advance, right, try to

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:31:56]:
Yes.

David Hall [00:31:56]:
Gather some stories, so you're not trying to think on your feet as much.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:32:03]:
Yep.

David Hall [00:32:04]:
Because that's not our strength thinking on our feet usually.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:32:07]:
Yeah. I feel like that's why I'm a good writer because I can really think about my words, carefully choose them. And that's probably a strength for a lot of introverts, I would think, is writing rather than speaking on the spot.

David Hall [00:32:21]:
Yeah. Yeah. And you definitely write about that within your book because we do like to often write, like maybe we're gonna write a great email where we can think about what we wanna say and and, you know, choose our words carefully and all that good stuff. But how do we bring that strength of writing into our business?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:32:42]:
Oh, yes. I mean, so many places. Right? We have

David Hall [00:32:45]:
Right.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:32:45]:
Email, social media. If you're writing a talk, you know, that's the great thing about preparing in advance so you can write it. Let's see where else even just like proposals, right? Anywhere where you can use that strength of writing to connect with your audience, tell stories, sell. You know, if we get if we get really awesome copy on your website that is really connecting with your audience and showing that you're the solution to their problem, then once they connect with you or ask, you know, ask to see if they're if you can hire they can hire you, then hopefully that really good writing has convinced them or at least gotten them to the point where they want more information.

David Hall [00:33:35]:
Yeah. And it's I think just part of this is just remembering that we often prefer to communicate in writing and tap into that. You know? Remember that this is a strength that I have that maybe others don't have, but this is something I can really tap into.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:33:49]:
Right. Right. Yeah. And I like to think about extroverted people too. Right? Like, if we can understand both sides, we can be more effective. So oftentimes, I'll ask, you know, do you prefer like, I think in my intake form on website, do you prefer texting, email, or call? Because I prefer to to text or email. But if they're a person that would rather just, you know, get on a call, get the conversation over with, then I'm happy to do that. And I like to schedule it in advance.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:34:18]:
That helps me as an introvert rather than just being like, oh my gosh. They might call me sometime or when I'm when am I gonna call them? Who's gonna answer? What do I say? So if I schedule it in advance and I do like to do video calls because I I take the facial expressions as cues for myself. I don't know if that's an introvert trait or just a visual.

David Hall [00:34:38]:
I I think it is myself. Yeah.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:34:40]:
Yeah. I like, COVID really changed my business in that way because it's, like, expected now to do a video call with people. And that really helped me save energy and have to drive to people's offices so much. And then, yeah, I I just feel like more at ease talking to people on the video because I can I can see them? I can read their their faces, their body languages. So that's a good tip, I think, for introverts. If you can schedule your calls in advance, then you might feel more comfortable. And it is time saving to get on a call a lot. There's not that back and forth of emailing and texting all the time.

David Hall [00:35:16]:
Yeah. And I love that you brought out we need to understand each other. You know? Introverts and extroverts, we process things differently, so we might have different communication preferences, but we need to understand each other, you know, and and try to honor that other preference. You know? It's you know, I don't always do anything. You know? It's like, I I think about situations. It's like, yeah. This one is a better as a email. This one, you know, I should go see this person or this one.

David Hall [00:35:47]:
I should definitely give them a call. If I send them an email, it's gonna go bad. You know? So it just you know, normally, you you could say, well, I I I prefer most of the time to do this in writing, but for me, I I always talk about usually, generally because it just it it's gonna depend, but it's so helpful to understand the other person. Like, like, an each an extrovert is generally gonna wanna talk things out. You know? Mhmm. So they're gonna definitely like that group brainstorming. I could I I benefit from group brainstorming, but a lot of times, I'm gonna wanna think things through. And just understanding the differences of of how we process and how we get energy is so helpful.

David Hall [00:36:32]:
Right. So you do talk in your book a lot about things that can strike fear into introverts, and we've talked about those, like public speaking and networking. And in your book, you talk about the introvert sales mindset. So tell us about that because sales can definitely seem scary for some introverts.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:36:51]:
Right. Right. Yeah. For me, just having a conversation was scary, like, in general, right, with people, but specifically asking for the sale is just so hard. And I I think that's true, you know, for anyone starting a business who has never been in sales before maybe, especially if you're offering a creative service that or a service that's, you know, kinda close to your heart. It it can feel like rejection if they say no.

David Hall [00:37:16]:
I kinda think

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:37:17]:
I've totally gotten over that by now. But so for me, just learning very specific phrases to say, you know, where I just say the same thing every time. Also letting them do the talking. Right? Asking more questions rather than doing all the talking. And that helps me know what to say because they've they told me all the things, the all their problems. I didn't really have to do a lot of talking. They just told me. So learning how to direct the conversation in that way and then just, you know, asking for the sale.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:37:49]:
And that took a lot of mindset work around. I can't help them if they don't hire me. You know? I if I want to make money, I have to ask for the sale, different things like that. And just thinking this is a conversation. This is a a friendly time to connect and learn about them. And if I have the solution, offer it to them. And so, yeah, that it took me a long time to to learn that. And I I have some mentors.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:38:15]:
I quote one of my the person I learned a lot about sales from in my book, Nikki Rausch, the sales maven. She has I've taken several of her workshops and she let me she gave me permission to put some of the things she's taught me in there. And they're really just non high pressure sales tactics. Right? It's it's about service and friendliness connecting. So that's really helped me knowing those things.

David Hall [00:38:43]:
Yeah. And these kinds of things are throughout your book where here's how you can leverage it things as an introvert. And, you know, we don't have to do the high pressure, you know, but we are offering something of value and we can give great service. And in just the way you do your branding, you can convey all those things. And so I love that about your book because that's that's a big part of why I do this show. It's like you can be wildly but I just see how introvert plays into all of these various things. Like, I had to learn. Hey.

David Hall [00:39:18]:
You want? You can be a great public speaker, and you can actually enjoy it, but here's the route for you that's gonna look different from from an extroverted friend of yours. Right. So, Tanya, this has been a great conversation. It went by pretty fast.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:39:31]:
Yeah. Yeah. I had a good time.

David Hall [00:39:33]:
Yeah. Is there any other any other points that you wanna leave us with that maybe we haven't talked about yet?

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:39:39]:
So just like the last chapter of my book, I'm kind of a cheerleader for you. I see you and just really want to encourage any introverts who maybe feel, you know, hesitant in their business or really want to grow it and aren't sure how to, or or they feel fear, you can do it. And I believe in you, and I've been able to see that success and change in myself and also not change. Right? Like, I don't have to change parts of me because I'm an introvert. I can just do things differently like you said. And that's the message of my book, and I hope it's super helpful for people. And you can download the first couple chapters for free if you want to. And do you want me to tell them where to do that, or do you just want to put it

David Hall [00:40:26]:
in Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. I will put it in the show notes too, but tell us.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:40:31]:
Sure. So it's at workstorycreative.com/freechapter. So super easy to find. And then my book is on Amazon, in Kindle, and print.

David Hall [00:40:41]:
Awesome. And I love how you said that, you know, we can change, but the way that we need to change is honoring our introversion, honoring our strengths, honoring our needs. But I also love that you said, in some ways, what we're doing is awesome, and we don't need to change it even if somebody else does something differently. You know? Honor who you are and who your strengths are, who your you know, what your unique gifts are. I love that.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:41:06]:
Yeah. I think just recognizing those is helpful. You know? How what am I already doing that's that's working, and how can I do more of that?

David Hall [00:41:14]:
Thanks again for this wonderful conversation, Tanya. Been great talking with you.

Tanya Goodall Smith [00:41:18]:
Yeah. Thanks for having me.

David Hall [00:41:20]:
Thank you so much for joining me today. I look forward to further connecting with you. Reach out at david@quietandstrong.com, or check out the quiet and strong dot com website, which includes blog posts and links to social media channels. Send me topics or guests you would like to see on the show. If you're interested in getting to know yourself better, there's now a free type finder personality assessment on the Quiet Strong website. This free assessment will give you a brief report, including the 4 letter Myers Briggs code, and you can also have the option of purchasing the full report if you'd like to learn more. I'll add a link to the show notes. So many great things about being an introvert, and we need those to be understood.

David Hall [00:42:00]:
Get to know your introverted strengths and needs and be strong.