Speak More Confidently: An Introverts Guide to Working with Clients

[@thefutur]

If you want more of this type of content, check out our Podcast interview with Michael Bungay Stanier: bit.ly/futur-podcast-82

[@bradhouston4734]

This podcast was DA BOMB! They are all good. But this one was great!!

[@thenikhilray99]

This video came at a really perfect time. I had an interview yesterday, and I went out of breathe explaining my design project on the phone. I couldn't figure out why it happened. Luckily, I got the internship.

[@ERICKAANTONIO-py1ye]

❤❤❤❤@@bradhouston4734

[@brenthughldridge546]

Chris Do is the guy who gets you motivated and to not make excuses after waking up. Matthew Encina is the guys that tells you at night that you did great, do the same tomorrow.

[@PJBill]

What about Greg?

[@myopyaesone1062]

@@PJBill He will gift you a colorful illustration to cheer you up ;)

[@dodifferent_co]

Lesson 1 - Slow down and get in sync. Your mouth isn’t as fast as your brain. Avoid filler words: like, you know, umm, kinda. You can tackle this by slowing down the cadence of your speech so that you can collect your thoughts before they leave your mouth. It’ll help you speak clearer and more confidently. - How to slow down: Exercise 1 - Speak in small bursts - Try speaking in small bursts without using filler words in between. - Take your time, find the rhythm that syncs with how you process your thoughts - How to slow down: Exercise 2 - Allow for silence - Don’t fill in silence with meaningless responses (like, you know) - When talking to someone count to 3 seconds (or more) before responding to somebody. This will allow for the conversation to go deeper. - Slowing down helps you gain control the pace of the conversation Lesson 2 - You don’t need to have all of the answers. There’s nothing wrong with saying I don’t know. Don’t feel pressured to always respond without a clear thought. It takes a while to process what’s being said with any job that requires critical thinking. Stop responding right away, say this instead “You know what? I’m not sure yet. I’d like to collect my thoughts on this.” This removes the pressure off of you and it gives you permission to think. Once you’re ready to speak, say “I’ve collected my thoughts. I’d like to share them before we move on.” It’s better to be transparent on how you’re processing things in real time, people will be okay with it and it creates a safe space to open the conversation. Big problems take time and space to understand and work through. Lesson 3 - Be genuinely curious and ask more questions Don’t go into conversations feeling like you have to say something, instead actively listen to what the other person is saying with genuine curiosity and ask questions rather than answering. By asking questions you remove the pressure to sound smart and to not make the conversation about you. Asking a series of how, why, and what questions helps to invite the other person into the discussion and explore possibilities with you. Your curiosity will help them arrive at their own conclusions and find clarity. - Response Exercise: Ask instead of answering - During your next conversation resist the urge to answer and respond with a question instead. One thing that digs deeper into the last thing they just said. Forget about your agenda and what you want to add to the conversation. - Be generous and be curious

[@teddywaira9975]

The one guy that everyone in class wants to borrow notes from 😂😂

[@RJ-ir9pj]

There is something about Matthew Encinas voice that is so soothing

[@RandomRumor]

Matt, I can’t thank you enough for making this content. I feel that our industry is never easy for introverts and has always favoured the loudest and quickest thinkers in the room. So much so that we often try to fit into the extrovert’s mould in order to be heard and respected. Hearing your stories and perspectives helps me feel confident that there is unique power that I can harness by leaning in to the different way that I think and practicing these habits! Thank you for this - so relatable.

[@nilsasalgado2777]

such a relatable comment.

[@emptythoughts3060]

This comment could make me cry. SO DAMN TRUE!!! I purposely got into creative because I wasn't a confident speaker, ended up not developing those skills and now that I've been pushed to it , thanks agency life, I feel this. I feel whatever I am is never enough or appreciated because I am not loud and vocal. Workplaces aren't built for introverts, and that's so damn frustrating. They say “we’re inclusive”, but they aren't, if half of your people feel the same way.

[@jaikumarsivalingam]

I hear you!

[@tiiitoraplee]

I come back to this video every time I have a big meeting. Thank you!

[@thefutur]

Wonderful!

[@miklosclarke]

This is the kind of value I want my youtube channel to consistently give. This is real good. 🔥🔥💯💯🔥🔥💯

[@abbichoa145]

when i listen to matthew, i was just like seeing myself on the mirror. Thx as always Mat!

[@ansaransu4761]

❤❤❤

[@emptythoughts3060]

I'm here because I was in a meeting today and I wasn't particularly bad but could have been more confident and sorted. I was beating myself up for it and I truly do not feel confident at all, in fact I feel the skills I did develop earlier have gone away through pandemic . I wish I could give you a hug. This video is truly the best, I could relate to each and every one of these scenarios. I was always scared of making a fool of myself, but never to this extent and I think these points will be really helpful to tackle this. You got a subscriber, looking forward to more of your content!

[@thefutur]

Welcome to the Futur

[@biskupeke]

This was liberating! I started to enjoy silence instead of feeling awkward ALL THE TIME. And I can breath again :D

[@monsserrattvelazquez8140]

Last year I was the first time I started working for a UX Design agency, I remember the first meetings I attended to where I said nothing or had the occasional nod here and there. I was terrified that I wasn't understanding anything and how that would affect my job. I had to remind myself it takes time to adapt to a new project, to learn new skills and to become a part of the team. All this advice you share it super helpful and I'll continue to grow using your three points to speak more confidently. :)

[@MrDogyesiam]

Getting 'School of Life' vibes from the video. Amazing!

[@TheLionrazor]

Lifesaver. Always appreciate your advice, as I was also a wallflower growing up. Just hit a rough patch today, where my weak communication skills really stuck out. I had an task, but had trouble getting in sync with my boss and the client. Usually this was a quick and simple task to execute, but I ended up stumbling over these three exact things you mentioned. Have only been in the industry for a short time, and was struggling to come up with actionable ways to become more comfortable in conversation after what I've experienced. Once again, grateful to see advice coming from a similar place.

[@user-eu9ht5me5j]

Same bro, just had my awkward client call last week. The video pretty much answered my anxiety. good work@@MatthewEncina. Will look at the book.

[@menicabento1749]

Matthew's content is a must in education because each different type of leader requires custom tools. There are many tips for extroverted hyper-active leaders out there, but not many valuable tips on leadership like Matthew's, all his professional tips I find insightful. I am grateful that you share and teach us your ways! P.S. Your approach in making these videos is well-chosen, considering that it feels very personal and genuine, so it adds to better learning.

[@jpgalido]

Being an introvert is both a blessing and curse for me. Active listening, attention to details and being genuinely curious about things and people gives an inherited advantage in building relationships and ability to see details that nobody else can see. However, as you progress in your career, you are spot on that problems are more complex. Solutions no longer rely on one person to solve. You need to collaborate, manage and eventually lead. Communication is my Achilles heel. Highlighted that am in a foreign land and English is not my first language. Building your public speaking and communication skills takes time. I learned that courses, KZbin and daily practice is essential. This video is a very good summary of the core principles of communication. Introverts like me has was to go but vids like this are helpful. Thank you! 👍

[@anniekaniu1020]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video for us Matthew. It was so calming and valuable

[@maancruz3483]

Wow! I'm an introvert and this video is really for me. I literally wrote everything in my self-improvement notebook. Thank you so much.

[@greenviewmedia6186]

I've definitely admired Chris and Matthew's abilities to communicate; so hearing they are more naturally introverted has definitely given me hope in this area! Thanks for this!

[@danielndrssn]

Matthew could honestly teach anything and I would listen. Love his honest and straight to the point style of story telling. Every video is a joy!

[@neverlessification]

As an introvert moving and working on a more different extroverted culture, I felt everything you said.

[@liamnathanstudio9423]

Well crafted video. Exactly what i needed today after 5 phone meetings with different potential clients

[@OBNfull1000]

This is great advice. I'm working at my first design job out of college and I've hit a bump where I worry I'm not doing well enough by contributing in conversations and not having amazing ideas all the time.

[@giselle-cursosonline7578]

Matthew I loved listening to you because you seen like an introvert and its great to see how well you communicate your ideas. Your tip about giving yourself permission to think calmly before answering is something that I want to start practicing. Thanks

[@keimaye]

Ha! This video is perfect - it can take an entire age for me to form coherent sentences. The words make sense in my head, then get all jumbled when I speak, then I'm conscious about the fact it's jumbled and then - A mess.

[@keimaye]

@@MatthewEncina Great tip! Thankyou. Especially helpful as I've started a podcast recently! If I had a penny for every "erm" haha. Love all of these videos, thankyou for posting this.

[@corinneseguinart]

Quiet yet loud, calm and uplifting. This video makes me think and feel of the breath of white space in layouts, the tone of gentle pastels, the smooth texture of paper and the depth of concise text and precise elements. A recipe of goodness. A sweet cocktail for improvements. Thanks!

[@cindyrecile4923]

Love this. Such good advice. Thank you.

[@ryuji_chua]

Very helpful as usual! As someone who grew up insecure and shy, saying "I don't know" and listening have really helped me communicate more effectively. The intro sequence was beautiful and relatable. I found the demos very useful too. The lessons you share are always helpful, and the slick visuals make them all the more memorable. Personally, I would love to see behind the scenes for one of these videos! What intrigues me the most is your writing process and the animated sequences. Keep on being awesome! I appreciate you ♥️

[@ana-mariamirea515]

It helps a lot to know that other people around you feel the same. All of a sudden you understand that you don't need to be perfect nor feeling guilty that you don't rise to what you think others' expectations are. I believe this type of topic should be part of a company culture nowsdays and discussed more often. Another interesting subject would be how do you manage to give feedback to a client. As an introvert, I find this challenging because I always think 'oh did I say it right?", "did I sound too aggressive or too direct?", and an infinte of what-ifs.

[@bradhouston4734]

Yo, the other BIG plus to asking questions and being curious is that is one of the best ways to build RAPPORT. People love to talk about themselves and everyone wants what they do to be interesting to someone. It’s a hard truth, but we tend to like people who like us or seem interested in us.

[@pedroroque8681]

Listening and asking questions are the two most important details which helped me become a better talker and take lead on all my interactions.

[@TheAshGuard]

One of the best videos lately out there. It's hard to get your thoughts out there and yet, so smart to slow down a little bit. Thank you Matt!!

It's so interesting, I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but your last name sounds really good from the perspective of who learns from you in Portugal. The way "Encina" sounds, is the same way "ensina" sounds to us, and "ensina" means "teaches" in Portuguese. Perfect name for the good teacher you are. Mathew Encina "ensina" everyone else really well.

[@regifall]

The way you talk is incredibly soothing. I could listen to you read the Terms and Agreements and I wouldn't skip it. Thank you for sharing this vid!

[@ideoholics]

I can so relate to you Mathew. I really appreciate your simplicity and humbleness. You're doing awesome work. Congratulations!!!

[@PauloKevinDelaCruz16]

Hi Matthew. Thank you for this. I'm an introverted project manager, which in my head, kinda negates the role of being a project manager - since they are expected to talk and know all. Though I know my stuff, I am just not good at articulating them, especially in real-time conversations or meetings with clients. More often, the feeling of not being able to say anything makes me feel uncomfortable and starts doubting myself If I am good enough. Maybe because I forced myself to sound smart, and not really understand the questions. Which in the end, those who talk loud and fast usually takes over the conversation, while I left "nodding". I am learning and relearning stuff, and video like this affirms that I can be able to handle situations that an introverted person is not primarily used to. So thank you!

[@ahmedabdullah5705]

Love Matthew's calm demeanor

[@thefutur]

he's the king of chill.

[@archieabong]

this definitely helps me a lot as an introvert myself. I find myself talking so fast most of the time during meetings maybe as a way to sound smart and intelligent but this gives me a different perspective to take it slow, ask questions, and don't put all the pressure in me. Thanks the futur! :)

[@krutikajadhav2222]

This video just gave me an instant boost of confidence. When I was watching the video I could see myself in there! Thanks for making this video.

[@petersison7804]

I find that contributing to the meeting/conversation early helps also. If you can make people laugh is huge bonus points. Because the longer a meeting goes with you having said nothing makes it 10 times harder to say anything. Especially if questions aren't thrown at you specifically. The worst feeling is walking out of a meeting where everyone spoke and you didn't. Hope that makes sense.

[@petersison7804]

Thats a great point also. I think my problem was i was too hard on myself in these situations... so by not saying anything in those meetings the result was feeling discouraged for the rest of the day which, looking back, was a waste of emotion. Becaue the work continued as is regardless and ended up fine. But another thing too was, i was a producer and at the time i felt like the most talkative people in the room should be the producers and project mgrs. So there was that added pressure. Over time, i found that it got easier to say something and it all comes naturally now. The more "reps" i got in meetings, the easier it got.

[@kokak9540]

I am introvert and for a past few years to always practicing to speak and can tackle a good conversation for the other people, I keep continue to improve my communication skill that I can see to the extrovert and ambivert and one of them is my friend sometimes I am easily to be nervous but my friend alwasy remind me to speak not too fast. Just always practice Imitate Read Book

[@garethellison01]

I know this is an old vid but needed to add a comment. Not sure how he managed to squeeze so many communication nuggets into one short vid. This onw is worth a few listens i think..

[@Macmac-f3j]

For me, the best part was “you don’t have to answer all the questions”. I also used to mess things up with the pressure to speak something. And that lead me to being a wallflower in my class. Thanks for sharing your insights!

[@AdapurLanang]

This is what I'm feeling now, grateful to know this video, and thanks for sharing how to overcome it!

[@fokitagva]

I have been doing as Matthey says, by instinct. This video assures me. Questions definitely show interest and empathy for your client. You have to make people talk about themselves. Instead of talking about you. Great video.

[@jasoncuray]

I just saw this video and I feel like it has boosted my confidence. I can’t wait to attend our next meetups. I’m just having trouble because I’m the only Filipino in my circle here in New Zealand

[@jasonchang9713]

Matthew, I want to say thank you so much for being vulnerable about presenting your story and cases in the past that led you to where you are today. You and the team at The Futur have continued to inspired me from problem solving, thinking, and speaking. I've been inspired to create content like this and what my biggest takeaway was giving myself permission to speak and slowing down gets you to uncovering and understanding the other.

[@jasonchang9713]

Matthew Encina absolutely! I’d love to connect and shoot out some ideas!

[@mikrahner]

amazing piece of content. i really can relate to this. and the advice is great - simple and effective. plus: the animation for “setting the stage” at the beginning is on point! well done, as always, but this is an a+!

[@brianlayug7954]

Hi, Matthew! Thanks a lot for this. I was struggling this past few days with communicating to our clients. My new role requires me to speak to them most of the time, and for the past years I was only working on the background. With that, I really had to adjust to fulfill the needs of my new role. I came across a lot of videos to possibly determine where should i start to improve on communicating, and I stumbled upon this video. Really of a great help! I will start doing these and I hope I could get more comfortable speaking to our clients. Please continue to inspire other people and I wish you all the best in your career!

[@rezkiwijaya5509]

I was totally like that, and the solution i found it quite easy for me, i change the way i think, i don't take that situation as a PERFORMANCE moment anymore i redefine that moment into a casual DISCUSSION/COMMUNICATION and so far it's totally works for a people with poor english like me when facing a global clients :)

[@gkodash]

Matthew, thank you so so much. It is gold! Again thank you for sharing...

[@virginiavcr]

Thank you! Keep coming back to re watch this gold content 🙌

[@shumailrizvi7625]

Love you Matthew, please share the second episode of your portfolio ❤❤

[@RicoAlencar]

The intro got a The School Of Life vibe and i love it! So cool. Loved this vid! As a introvert i appreciate this a lot

[@user-eu9ht5me5j]

School of life fans high five!

[@donskawin6657]

Thanks Matthew, we introverts can relate to those for us creepy situations. Love your visual style!

[@NGH99999]

This was awesome, Matthew, thanks for tackling this. I have a new client call tomorrow-my first in quite awhile-and I was feeling more than a little "feral". Your points have me thinking in a more grounded way now.

[@sholombrummel1637]

Wow, Matthew, this was so interesting. Especially because I noticed you've been doing this in your videos, you have a unique tone in your videos as opposed to everyone else since everyone else talks fast and you talk slow and deliberate. Thanks again : )

[@koiiaa3660]

Hi! I'm a student currently studying multimedia arts and I've been watching your content for years now and they've helped me in more than one occasion. I'm really bad at public speaking and speaking my thoughts. Thank you for everything that you do!

[@martiman1987]

It was a great reminder with some things i need to work on. I used the questions asking a lot cause a wanted to control the conversation and didn't like the silence. Now i'm learning more and more about being silent and not having to responding immediately. I really like the control part of the taking breaks and controlling of breathing. Thanks for sharing this.

[@KhenpoDub]

Damn that is exactly me the first time I worked with one of the top European Fashion brands. I was in charge of all their Social Ads strategy, and I was a 27 guy with low confidence. After 6 months into the job, I was rocking it, telling the Marketing Director my thoughts even though she wasn't always in agreement. I was just doing my job: being the expert they pay to help them.

[@DewdropAF]

Thanks for the video! Great advice and resources! I've often struggled to vocalize my thoughts in a clear manner so I've learned to embrace "pregnant pauses" to allow my mouth to catch up to my brain. When I do use the pauses during meetings, I notice that other people in the room listen more intently. Also, I do appreciate the advice to excuse oneself from an inquiry when we don't have all the information we need to make a thoughtful response. Thus, asking questions to dig deeper is a good way to get the information. Thanks again!

[@OmarSalman]

This lesson will really helps me to Speak More Confidently. Thank you Matthew and all the future team

[@pao.baselica]

I struggle so much with this, THANK YOU Matt!

[@delusionalunicorn5324]

Thank you, Matthew. I'm struggling with the same thing. See you overcome all these hurdles inspire us. The animation in the beginning was awesome as usual.

[@bradhouston4734]

You know what’s crazy. I was a mega extrovert, but the combo of isolation with my family and perhaps meds has taken a bit of my confidence away, so I appreciate the introvert world now! Cheers 😀🕺🏻🎥🏖🇦🇺

[@MsFreeDiy]

I didn’t realize I needed to watch this! I thought it was a personal, lack of self confidence thing, but it’s so nice to know I’m not the only one. Thank you!

[@_isaac_muniz_]

This video is gold to me. Thank you.

[@suryakrishna4662]

Matthew is back with answers!! 😊❤️❤️ Your voice is soo soothing.

[@charithgoonewardene7949]

You spoke straight to me !! Thank you 🙏🙏is an understatement !! Wishing you endless success 💚. Charith from 🇱🇰. I am a big fan of your material.

[@teodorteisberg8344]

"I was very confident in my skills as a design professional, I just had a hard time articulating my thoughts. Especially in a real time conversation with others." Personally I relate to this _SO_ much

[@AlifSayZay]

The intro was so relatable .-.

[@happyjayden9665]

This is such a great video Matt, I love the intro sequence so much, it's like you were reading my mind. I still remember you gave one of the Young Guns girl these tips to better her communication and now I feel like the way you articulate and explain these tips for the audiences have become so good and easy to grasp. Well done, big thumb up Matt.🔥🔥🔥

[@berna7017]

Thank you for another great content! I need this now. It feels like you guys were reading my mind. As an introvert, presenting to clients always makes me feel anxious even when I know I’m prepared. Just like last week, when I need to present logos to a client. As I started to speak, the flow of what I need to say didn’t went well. After I presented it feels like they’re all staring at me and feel like I let them down by how I presented it or It’s just me overthink things. Anyw, I will take note of these tips and apply it every time I need to present. You guys are the best! ❤️

[@berna7017]

I just think I let them down. They did give a feedback after I presented the logos but it took a while.. I know in myself that I can do better. I just need to practice more on how to speak confidently.

[@piamarietandog4997]

I find it relaxing when Mathew speaks. Great work on the animations! Everything is really neat and well thought of. 💛

[@tabe.makabe]

Personally really love this one! I struggle with articulating my thoughts especially when I'm anxious or have a lot to say. And as someone who stutters too, I can say that slowing down and truly processing what I'm about to say really helps. Practicing speeches or certain sentences alone can really help stimulate that connection with words, and during meetings/conversations, those phrases and sentences seem to flow very easily from my experience! Thank you for sharing this Matthew!

[@jenardvdevera]

Hoping for more interesting and inspiring content. This topic really means a lot to me. Thank you Matthew Encina and the rest of The Futur ❤

[@alexvid43]

Your thoughts on this subjects are very appreciated. apart from the technical and artistic skills the ability to talk and communicate is also very important and for introverts it is a difficulty really hard and unnatural to overcome. Thanks for sharing!

[@LauraDuhLlama]

Thank you for this Matthew! I'm presenting to my companies whole design team on friday and have been trying to make sure I come across clearly, especially over video call! Gonna try to slow it down

[@akashchoudhary5736]

I used to stammer and these techniques were thaught to us in the speech therapy sessions.

[@thefutur]

Are there any other lessons or exercises you could share with us?

[@akashchoudhary5736]

@@thefutur Sometimes when rate of speech ( words per second/minute) goes really high people starts to jumble up the words, to rectify it whenever u feel dat ur rate of speech is going up just count 1 on ut finger then say the word, then count 2 on ur finger then say next word. It really helps to slow down and makes words clearer. Have I made myself clear ??

[@walkert612]

THIS VIDEO IS PROVIDING *REAL VALUE*

[@guidedtocreate.5714]

Really well done, Matthew. Thank you for sharing- very useful and actionable points!

[@Zulfikeay]

It's nice to see you again Matthew. Thank you for this.

[@strawberries5151]

Thanks so much for this! I would love one for writing. Primarily writing and responding to emails.

[@strawberries5151]

@@MatthewEncina I want to learn how to express myself and my ideas in a more professional way. I want to be taken seriously while keeping my personality. For example : a supervisor had sent a email with a Marvel gif and I had always thought that was something you could never do. What is appropriate and what isn't when writing within an agency, client, or potential employer? Thanks for asking and I hope this makes sense.

[@creationlew]

Hey matt! This one is super helpful for me considering my current role and what I was struggling lately. Thanks and sweet intro design/anim by you and Belinda ;)

[@AdrianRodriguez-tm3qj]

I'm studying to become a teacher and I get really nervous when I speak. Mostly because I think a lot and give short answers which it's not adequate for a teacher. Furthermore, nobody teaches you how to speak, they just assume you know. Thank you for this lesson, I'll try to implement these ideas.

[@Angelmarfie]

Thank you . I need this ❤️ God bless your channel 🙏

[@priscillablanchot6922]

Always great thought out videos Mathew. Merci! I can see how you have found yourself in these, as they are just beautifully put together. Now that I got to meet you in person and learned your super power, silence, I wonder tho if my chatty nature would be hard to tame, but I do have genuine curiosity and love asking questions and am ok to say something when conversations don't turn out as expected :)

[@arshaady1615]

I love the font of the titles.

[@emilyxie9011]

omg design and animation look so good belinda and Matthew! 🥳

[@fauramusic]

So true and actual! Thanks, man! I've been struggling with the same issues all the time!

[@crunchycar]

1. Slow down your thoughts and speech. Resist the urge to respond right away. Extra seconds of silence might allow the conversation to go deeper 2. There's nothing wrong with saying "I don't know." You don't have to have all the answers. Transparently say that you're collecting your thoughts, and when you have, do the same to re-enter the conversation. 3. Be genuinely curious. Ask more questions after actively listening

[@kesavaraj3090]

when I started to put some comments here, really I don't know what to write but like you said I genuinely I want to saw more videos from you and I felt good vibes Thank you for this video

[@iOi8888]

This is so spot on! Thank you for sharing such incredible content.

[@SharonDeCaro]

Love it, Matthew. Thank you for this perfect video. Entertaining, engaging and informative!

[@DY-jm1gk]

Thank you so so much for this video, Matthew! You've described exactly what's going on in my head when I was in meetings, cheers for the advice and reminders. I just blew a job interview with one of my favourite company and I was beating up myself a lot about it. I'm confident with my professional skills and very proactive but sucks at selling myself. This brings me comfort and knowing how to improve next time.

[@maimohamed3590]

The animation in the beginning too, bravo😍👌✨

[@111nikec]

Good stuff, thank you for this! Will definitely come handy in "the futur" once I get a job as a graphic designer :)

[@kidastudio]

Thanks, Mathew... really need this..

[@cokifernandez2601]

Gracias Matias, muy buenos consejos siempre 👍

[@miehackhd5027]

What an amazing video! I actually ran out words to describe how relevant and helpful this is! Keep up the good work matthew. :)

[@serpentsforhair]

I've been trying to be more articulate in a firm but calming manner (still working on being more comfortable talking slower and not rushing to fill in the thinking-gaps). Thanks for the lifehacks, Matthew