I talk.
I talk a lot, actually.
I was glad to discover when I did a Meyers Brigg’s Personality Test that this is because I’m an extravert. That doesn’t just mean I’m noisy; it means that I process my thoughts by speaking them aloud and I gain energy from interacting with other people. I come to an understanding of issues by talking them through, and after a meeting people I am wired and alert. This makes it sound so much better than a label like “blabbermouth,” doesn’t it?
But to be honest, sometimes I am just a blabbermouth. If I’m nervous or excited, I will ramble like crazy.
I was mentioning this today, and was given the most wonderful quote. I think I may have to make it onto posters and hang it on walls wherever I go. The person who was telling me about this thought it was from the movie Bernard, but wasn’t sure.
When deciding whether to open one’s mouth, one should consider,
1. Does it need to be said?
2. Does it need to be said by me?
3. Does it need to be said by me right now?
That is inspiring. Of course, it presupposes that one has the wherewithal to think before one speaks and that is an entirely different matter…
Shawn L. Bird 
Reblogged this on Shawn L. Bird and commented:
I was telling someone this yesterday- how funny that it came up on my random post generator today!
hehe I think I’m the opposite, I consider everything I say pretty carefully, even when I’m making small talk, trust me, it’s no way to live!
It is nearly impossible for me. :-S
You know what’s weird , I’m an Introvert and most times I live up to that title, but I do find myself rambling when nervous or in awkward emotional situations. I guess my I trait is diminishing some *cringes*
Well- sometimes rambling is good! (She says, hopefully) 😉
Indeed , sometimes it is! Ha!
Great piece. So, so true. And you are right – having the foresight to whether to say something or not is a totally different matter.
lol. Yes. That’s the hardest part.
Hi Shawn,
I’m an EFSJ myself. Mind you on the extrovert front, I’m only just an extrovert.
all the best
Tim
Lovely post! What particularly attracted me to this was your recounting of processing thoughts through speech. It’s taken me three lonely PhD years to realise why I loved undergrad so much and found postgrad such a struggle: I too think best when I think with others. And to think with others requires speech, and sometimes a lot of it. I always find that my ideas are never fully formed until I share them with others. Perhaps there are those out there for whom alone-ness is a comfort. Not for me. I love people too much. Could never give them up. Or speaking. Blabber-mouth or not 🙂
This is what I love best about my editor. She asks hard questions, and I can talk out the solutions, and then I love what comes from it. Solutions appear when they’re spoken.
“Solutions appear when they’re spoken” – Could not agree more. It is great that you have an editor you can work things through with in this way.
Yes. She’s amazing. (She’s an introvert).
Sometimes contrast works best 🙂
Very sound advice! I’m an introvert, but I love to talk (a lot!) with my friends and family.
Introversion doesn’t mean you don’t talk, it’s all about where you get your energy, and how you process things. I know lots of very chatty introverts.
I’m a chatty introvert. I remember the description my 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Mickens bestowed up me, Mouth Almighty, Tongue Eternal, Never Stopping Day or Night. I had ADD of the tongue! Lucky for me I grew up in the 1960s before medicating kids became the norm! My parents encouraged me to read, sketch and do lots of arts & crafts!
I took the Meyers Briggs back in college. I forgot the letters but it just confirmed that I am an introvert. I enjoy being around people but not all the time because crowds of people and too much interaction sap my energy. I prefer being alone or with one or two close family and/or friends. That’s why I’m enjoying my vacation this week. I get to do my two favorite activities; writing and taking photographs.
Have fun re-charging!
Well, that’s brevity for an extrovert! My assessment of bloggers is that many are introverts who speak little in social sitautions but write copiously. The written format allows such to form their ideas, put them out there (unlike social settings in which the topic has moved three ideas away before the introvert has organized what to say), and see what happens. Then there are hermits…
Oscar
Or the “I only say something when I have something to say.”
I must admit that I admire my extroverted friends for their ability to carry on conversations and remember names. When I meet someone, his or her name either vanishes while I attend to the line of discussion, or my brain thinks, “Her name is Shawn. Her name is Shawn. Her name is Shawn” while the conversations have moved three topics away. Thus, the introvert’s dilemma: do I remember her name or listen to what she is saying? Of course, I needed to think about this response for about 15 minutes, while checking on some other comments, making a cup of coffee, and letting the dogs out, before I generated a response. Let’s, see, what were you saying? 🙂
Hi Shawn! I like the way you spelled EXTRAvert–like a Freudian slip! I am just the opposite, I’m coming to realize, and accept, even though the culture wants us to not be. Now, I’m more content to risk just being myself–at whatever the costs–but I’m having to let go of a lot of old conditioning to do so. A popular book now, Quiet, talks about all this and I’m about 1/2 through it and enjoying it immensely.
Processing out loud and being an obnoxious git are two different things. It’s a good thing to remember that listening is important, too. To some I’m too vocal, but my theory is that it’s always good to have a thought on the table for discussion and debate, rather than to steam and simmer silently. This does require the ability to debate the thought and not denigrate a person, of course. Too many aren’t willing to consider their stated ideals and their actions don’t match up. I’m always amazed at poor Americans who can’t afford health care, arguing the Republican side of that debate. Talk about brain-washing! lol Entrenched party politics is not good for common sense recognition of what is actually in one’s own best interest.