Summary: Today's lesson is about introversion and extroversion. They are personality types. Can you guess which one I am? Read along transcript word pdf Upper-intermediate English vocabulary lesson. Test your English by answering following questions: 1) How do introverts feel about small talk? 2) What happens to me when I don't get to spend enough time alone? [adj] + [noun] 3) Describe the characteristics of a wallflower. -------- You are either an introvert or an extrovert. People often think that extroverts are confident and loud, and introverts are timid and shy. However, it’s more complicated than that. If you are an introvert, you recharge your batteries, you get your energy from spending time alone. In contrast, extroverts are energised by spending time in the company of lot of people – the more the merrier – the more people there are, the happier the extrovert is. Can you guess what I am? I am an introvert. My guess is that the majority of people who make content – content is the videos, podcasts or blogs published on the internet – are introverts. That’s because it takes so much time to make regular podcasts and videos that you have to be enjoy being alone working on your stuff, your content. You have to love doing it more than hanging out with people. It is not a sacrifice for you to spend hours or days working on something creative because you actually prefer this to socialising, most of the time. I am happiest socializing with one or two people at a time. It’s draining, it makes me feel exhausted, to be part of a big group of people where it is all just smal ltalk – general polite talk about things that aren’t interesting to me. It’s even more difficult for me to banter with people. Bantering is a particular kind of talk people do that is a bit like joking and a bit like teasing. They talk in an impersonal way that sounds clever, but actually, nothing of meaning is being said. They are talking, expressing themselves, but they are somehow saying nothing at the same time. It’s hard to explain! Often in group situations there is a lot of banter because it is not usually appropriate to talk about personal subjects. This summer I went on holiday with a group of people. They found it strange that every day I would go off alone for a couple of hours. Perhaps they even thought it was rude, impolite. It might have seemed that I didn’t like spending time with them. I would disappear from the beach and go for long walks. The truth is that I actually need some time alone every day. If I don’t have time alone, time alone to be myself, time alone to make all the decisions, I feel frustrated. Frustration is a negative emotion I try to avoid. That’s why I always make sure I have time alone. I really admire my extroverted friends who are the ‘life and soul of the party’. To ‘be the life and soul of the party’ means that you are lively and confident in a social situations. You chat and joke with lots of people; everybody notices you. The opposite kind of person, usually said of a woman, is a wallflower – that’s someone who is shy and doesn’t participate at a party. I'm not a wallflower, and actually I do like parties, it's just that I also need time alone also. I think it's a pity that the typical traits of introversion - being quiet, reserved, and private - are not rewarded in our world. It always seems that 'he who shouts the loudest wins the argument’. People listen to extroverts but very often introverts are ignored, and even their good ideas don't receive the recognition, the respect, they deserve. ------------- The Eleven Personality Traits of Introverts: Energised by time alone Private Quiet Serious Aware of inner thoughts and emotions Few friends Prefer smaller groups Independent Doesn't need to socialise very often Enjoys being alone Thinks before speaking ---------------- Listening Answers: 1) They feel exhausted and drained when there is small talk
