I haven’t seen too many familiar names in this thread, so maybe the laughter won’t be too loud if I chime in to say that I, too, am somewhat introverted. I’m also somewhat shy. This is due, in no small part, to the brutal reception I got from my heartless, little schoolmates when we moved to Mass., and they learned that I “talk funny”. (Meaning without a godawful Mass accent.)
In spite of this, and probably because I am, by nature if not by nurture, social, I was a highly successful salesman and have excellent presentation skills. I was also among the most popular trainers, at a job I had a while back. However, I do still dislike “small talk”. I can do it, and will if I have to, but I would really prefer to avoid it. And, I also find shopping malls, busy clubs and, basically, any large group, tiring.
I can’t really recommend that you take this as far as I’ve done but, FWIW, I’ll share one the tactics I’ve found to be most effective in dealing with those pushy extroverts. Like most introverts, when in meetings, my normal tendency is sit back, take in the discussion, and leave when it’s over, without having uttered a word.
However, I’ve found that if, occasionally, I open my mouth long enough to demolish the house of cards some yacky bastard has built out of bullshit and bravado, they eventually learn that forcing me to speak up may not be such a good idea. It usually takes very few words (sometimes only one or two), and very little effort, because these ideas are so often founded on bullshit. Clean that out, and the rest falls.
At the company I’ve been with for three years, now, some people seem to live in fear of me, when it comes to meetings. So, I’ve probably overdone it. But, it is amusing to see the nervous glances from the speaker, and the hopeful looks from some coworkers, that dart in my direction when a speaker calls for questions. The looks from the coworkers are due to my having been the only one, for a long time, who was willing to burst some of our boss’s more absurd bubbles of bullshit. (I’m not his favorite person. 
)
Mind you, I’m not rude about it. (And, I haven’t, yet, yelled “Cite!” or “I’m calling bullshit!”, but I’m still a newbie, here. Give me time.) I’m just really good at poking holes in silly ideas. I suspect it’s an introvert trait. We think, rather than babbling. It also has the fringe benefit of causing my name to be left off more meeting invitations than would otherwise be the case. And, most of the time, these days, when I see those looks, I just smile to myself and sit back.
