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Educational topics such as online education, relevant skill sets, education reform, college debt loan crisis, and instructional design.

woman smiling and thriving at table with other business people at a big event
by peyton

11 Tips for Introverts to Thrive at Big Events

As an introvert, big events and conferences can sometimes feel overwhelming. The crowds, constant socializing, and high-energy environments may leave you feeling drained. But fear not! With some preparation and self-care strategies, you can navigate these situations with confidence and make the most of the experience. If you’re an introvert, get ready to thrive at your next big event.

1. Set Reasonable Expectations

The first step is to set realistic expectations for yourself. I have an extroverted friend who is always “on”. His motto is that he’s down for whatever. As an introvert, I have the opposite motto! However, I’m always going to be me. Don’t force yourself to be “on” and socializing constantly. It’s perfectly okay, and even necessary, to plan for downtimes where you can recharge your batteries. Embrace your introverted nature and give yourself permission to take breaks.

2. Prepare Conversation Starters

One of the biggest challenges for introverts at events can be starting conversations with strangers. To make this easier, have some opening lines or questions ready to go. Simple things like “What brings you to this event?” or “How did you get involved in this industry?” can be great icebreakers. You can also ask people about their work, interests, or thoughts on the event itself.

3. Schedule Breaks

Intentionally build breaks into your schedule to give yourself time to be alone and re-energize. Use these breaks to check in with yourself, practice some deep breathing exercises, or simply sit quietly and reset. Don’t feel guilty about taking this time for yourself – it will help you show up more present and engaged when you do interact with others.

person attending big event meeting or lecture

4. Identify Quieter Spaces

Before the event, scout out potential quieter spaces where you can escape the crowds when needed. This could be a corner of the venue, an outdoor area, or even your hotel room. Having these oases identified in advance will make it easier to retreat and reset when you start to feel overstimulated.

5. Leverage Your Listening Skills

As an introvert, one of your strengths is likely your ability to truly listen and observe. Lean into this skill by letting others do more of the talking while you listen attentively and ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. In fact, learn to be a master at asking great open-ended and thoughtful questions. People often appreciate a good listener and conversation starter.

Push yourself to be a part of the event. Be present and talk to as many people as possible because you may never see them again.

6. Connect One-on-One

While group settings can be draining, you may find it easier and more enjoyable to connect with people one-on-one. Seek out opportunities for focused conversations, whether it’s suggesting meeting up for coffee or a meal, or simply finding a quieter corner to chat.

7. Leverage Conference Technology (Apps)

If your conference uses an app like Whova to organize an event, use it! After signing up for a conference, I started reaching out to people a month in advance. I scanned their profile and sent a brief, custom message to them. These are people I hoped to bump into. (There were too many interesting people at the last event so I only sent a few messages.)

I tried to find these participants at the event, but I also oranized a lunch meetup in the app. To be honest, there might be a day or two where you eat entirely alone—and be perfectly happy doing so. However, you’re putting yourself out there so if you proactively invite 20 people (the people you noted earlier) and only get 1 RSVP, that’s a huge win. You get to connect with someone with mutual interests.

whova app image Whova App Arlie Peyton number one on Leaderboard

8. Recharging for Multi-Day Events

If the event spans multiple days, it’s even more crucial to have strategies in place for recharging your energy. Again, you’re there for a reason so push yourself to be a part of the event. Be present and talk to as many people as possible because you may never see them again. But I get it, that’s not the introvert’s way. So in addition to scheduling breaks, try incorporating some of these energy management techniques:

Energy Management Techniques

  • Practice deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and body
  • Take a few minutes to meditate or practice mindfulness
  • Go for short walks outside to get some fresh air and movement

Creating Downtime

  • Build buffers into your schedule so you’re not rushing from one thing to the next
  • Identify quiet spaces at the venue or your hotel where you can retreat
  • Be careful not to over-commit your time and leave room for rest

big conference event presentation

9. Professional Ways to Meet People

While the idea of networking can feel daunting, there are friendly and professional ways for introverts to meet new people:

Opening Lines

  • A simple “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met before…” can open the door to conversation
  • Compliment a speaker on something specific, like “I really enjoyed your presentation on…”
  • Compliment an attendee on something specific, like “I was really impressed by the question you asked during the Q&A. It made me think about [x] in a new way.”
  • Ask a post-talk question like “I really enjoyed that last speaker’s presentation on [topic]. What did you think of their key points?”

Making Connections

  • Ask about their role, company, or how they got involved in this industry
  • Look for common interests or connections you can bond over
  • Don’t be afraid to exchange contact information to follow up after the event

A little side note for this tip is that if your event has an app, use it to connect with people before the event. It’s easy for introverts to break the ice behind the screen. It’s practice for face-to-face meetings and gets you familiar with people so your approach to them at the event isn’t entirely cold.

10. Be Authentic

At the end of the day, you’ll get the most out of the event by being true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not or force excessive extraversion. Lean into your strengths as an introvert – listening deeply, engaging in meaningful conversations, and being thoughtful and observant.

11. Have an Exit Strategy

Finally, give yourself permission to leave when you need to. Set a reasonable time for yourself to depart the event, and don’t be afraid to excuse yourself once you’ve reached your socializing limit for the day. Recharge, reflect on what you’ve learned, and get ready to return refreshed.

Remember, as an introvert, big events may require some extra effort and self-care. But by setting reasonable expectations, taking breaks, and leveraging your natural strengths, you can make meaningful connections and come away energized rather than depleted. Embrace your introverted self – you have so much to offer!

Peyton is a business consultant, SEO, and brand journalist. He works with non-profits, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and writers who need to improve their brand positioning and get massive traffic. Focus industries include Medicine, SaaS, eCommerce, BlockChain, Manufacturing, & Education. Peyton also volunteers for noble causes.

Excited bearded man in plaid shirt looking at money banknotes
by peyton

I Took A Couple Years Off Of Work To Swing Trade. Here’s What Happened.

This is what I thought it would feel like swing trading:

 

This is what it often really felt like:

 

[A Quick Note: I am not a licensed broker or investor. This is not advice. Stock investing is a risk: you can lose your money. Please consult a licensed stock advisor before investing.]

Is it possible to make a living swing trading?

Yes, you can. The question to add is What is a good living in your book?

If your answer is $1,500-$6,000 a month part-time, then yes. It’s possible. However, it’s all dependent on a few major requirements:

  • You have capital to work with. Ideally, you should open a broker account with at least $50,000 — $150,000 in my opinion [1]. You have to buy a lot of shares to make any real money. Losing some of this initial capital is the price of learning, so keep that in mind!
  • You have patience to learn the craft. Learning the technical side of trading can take ten weeks or ten years. It all depends on your aptitude, attitude, and discipline to master the skills.
  • You have to be level-headed: that is, you’re not easily swayed by emotion. Technical trading is about spotting patterns and taking action. You can’t be influenced by the news or make emotional buys/sells. And, you must be able to mentally handle inevitable losing streaks and financial losses.
  • You have the access to technology. Many stock screeners are free, but some advanced ones you pay for really make a difference. All you need is a computer, software, and the internet to do this work.

There are a few more things you’ll need in your investment quiver, but these are the basics. Below is my experience with trading.

Context

I got into stock trading because I took a year off from teaching college and high school business courses. It was like early retirement for me. I had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted. I didn’t know if I was ever going back to education. Being frugal, I still wanted to dabble with money-making opportunities at my disposal.

Swing trading was one option, so I tried it.

As a business teacher, I already knew a lot about trading and personal finance. But that didn’t matter much because you could teach a ten-year old how to trade.

It was really the technical aspects that I had to learn. (In trading analysis, there is the fundamental side and the technical side. View this 2m video of you are not familiar with the difference.) I took a short course on charting, read a couple swing trading books, and then I was off to the races.

I predominantly did swing trading, not day trading. I’ve done some day trading (buy and sell in a day). However, my biggest wins have been from swing trading. I’d buy and sell a stock after holding on to it for a few days or weeks.

I got scared a few times and a little fundamentalist theory influenced my buying. In the beginning, part of my criteria was that I’d buy “long swing” (I don’t know if this is a term) stocks that were severely undervalued from a fundamentalist’s point of view. That way if I was wrong about the stock, I could hang on to it for a few months and at least break even.

This was a terrible strategy. Technical traders should never look at the longer term horizon. In fact, the company could go bankrupt in the few months and it wouldn’t matter. As long as you time your entry and exit points correctly, you’ll make money.

This was an aspect I didn’t like about technical analysis, but enjoyed about fundamental analysis. With fundamental companies, I could talk about them to other people and (maybe) predict their future growth. It was exciting to read about these companies in the news and keep up with their innovations.

With technical trading, all the knowledge you learn about a company was meaningless outside of swing trading. Patterns come and go, like companies come and go. I felt like I was filling my head with random data that wouldn’t matter a few days later.

Early Swing Trading Efforts

At first, I did extremely well. It was late 2014 and the market was robust. As mentioned, I traded a lot of obscure stocks. I also traded a few popular stocks and made thousands on them. They include NFLX (Netflix), AMZN (Amazon), ATVI, (Activision Blizzard), and MU (Micron Technology).

I mainly worked with technology and pharmaceutical stocks. Having a narrow industry focus was a crucial lesson I learned early on.

I made a mistake of listening to the Motley Fool guys (I had a one-year subscription to their basic stock advisory service). My mistake: they are not short-hold swing traders. They are interested in growth stocks you hang on to for months or years. They suggested you buy at least 10 stocks, possibly 20.

For any new trader, I wouldn’t buy more than five different stocks at a time. In fact, three is just fine unless you have lots of time and money to work with. The reason is that you’re trying to know these stocks inside and out. It’s hard to process the reams of data on just one company. Now think about doing that with several stocks (long or short-term).

Swing traders are looking for a pattern, but a lot of criteria is put into the mix. We can talk about trade volume, standard patterns (like “cup and handle”), and stock price — but that’s for another time. Basically, you have to decide which of these patterns make the most sense for the company at hand, plus the patterns of your previous wins.

Trading is like playing a game of chess with a giant countdown timer right in front of you the whole time. It can be very stressful as you process data and make your move in real-time.

The goal is to get into a trade at the right time (at the very start of its up-trending) and get out at the right time (at the very start of its down-trending). Your profit is the difference.

So if I came in at $100 and exited at $105, I would net $5. Now multiply that by the amount of shares you bought. Say it was 100 shares — you just walked with $500. (If I exited at $95, I would lose $500!) A kid could do this.

There is a broad continuum of where the trade lands and you get better at timing as you gain experience.

If you “short sell” a company, it’s basically the same strategy in theory. Short selling is like betting against a company: you predict their stock will decline and when they do, you recoup the difference. Short-selling and options were too technical and risky for me, so I usually steered clear of those kinds of trades. As I mentioned, I’m not a pro at trading by any means.

Good Data, Not More Data

What I learned quickly is that it’s not the amount of data you collect on a company or trade. What matters is the quality of data. You can spend days or hours just on one trade, but it makes better sense to act on a solid trading strategy augmented by high-quality data.

I lost a lot of money because I was comparing dozens of patterns for one stock in one time period. It made my head explode. Eventually, I came to my senses and focused on just a few patterns and a few companies. I set up watch lists and alert systems. I even had my trading day all planned out.

In the end, I only traded 2–4 hours a day maximum. I did this just a few days a week. I think I did alright for myself considering I was working on so many other things in my life (micro-businesses, hobbies, travel, writing, etc). In total, I traded about 15 hours a week.

I was thinking about substitute teaching at a local college or high school, but the simple math stopped me. Subs make $155-$180 a day. I was making that and more before 11 am. Ultimately, when I got consistent at this subbing just seemed like a waste of time. Some days I made more in three days than a full-time teacher would make in a whole month!

Bad Trading Moments

I’ll never forget late August 2015. I lost over ten thousand dollars in a single day and it was unnerving. The whole financial world felt the shockwaves of this day as a massive sell-off commenced. But in a few months, things bounced back. I recouped most of the money.

Another time I’ll never forget is when VRX (Valeant Pharmaceuticals) dropped 40% in one day. It’s been puttering along ever since. I was slow to liquidate the stock I bought at $250 and that’s now worth $13 today. I lost thousands and it was painful to see the drama all around this unfold. It was like watching a home burn down. They are going to rebuild it, but it will never be the same or as great as it was. (Note to self: set a Stop Loss trigger price.)

 

Just recently, I was watching a diabetes medical device. This one was made in my home town and it had lots of promise (DXCM, DexCom). I bought DXCM stock right before it got FDA approval. I felt great about the buy. Then a day later Abbott Laboratories releases a similar glucose-monitoring product and DXCM tanked. And that’s part of swing trading. You can’t know everything and you’re destined to lose trades.

Less Trading

A few years into swing trading, and I can say I learned a lot. I’ve made more than I’ve lost. I’m up about 16% ROI year to date. I’ve had way better years, but that’s decent.

You can look at my 16% ROI and think, wow that’s great. But it’s not that great really. There are dozens of non-swing trade systems that completely blew my results away. Many are incredibly passive (that is, low maintenance).

Also, my ROI percentage for one year doesn’t make as much sense as my average weekly income. It was a goal to average at least $300 a day trading 3 days of the week. If I was on target, that became a decent monthly income you could live on in most places. I look at it more like that.

More importantly, I now have an odd skill set that produces results, most the time. In fact, I recently bought two Apple laptops and paid cash from two short trades I made. I hate debt and credit cards, so it was empowering to do this.

Was It All Luck Or Skill?

Deep down I think that even though I spent hundreds of hours learning to swing trade, my success was partly due to two things beyond me:

  • The bull market cycle.
  • Beginner’s luck.

I got into trading during an economic cycle that has been one of the longest bull markets in history. (BTW, it’s likely to end soon.) Granted you can make money swing trading in any kind of market, the bull was on my side for sure.

As far as beginner’s luck, I had it. I placed small investments and kept adding to what worked. Some trades would only be $1,000 worth of shares. I was experimenting with scientifically-informed decisions.

Sometimes I got lucky when I double-downed on a stock, and I can’t always say it was because I knew what I was doing. I think a lot of confirmation bias comes with winning trades.

I’ve always been a fundamentalist at heart. I’ve idolized Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger in the past. I see their trading style as 70% Value Investing and 30% Growth Investing (though that ratio is highly debatable). These billionaire investors are in it for the long hall, decades even. There is something to be said about their phenomenal success.

Then there is the analysis from one of the most celebrated investment books of all time: A Random Walk Down Wall Street. In it, the economist Burton Malkiel talks about scientifically testing the efficacy of technical trading:

Put another way, if I never did any swing trading and invested all my money into a handful of diverse Vanguard or Dimensional funds, I would have gotten 8%-14% ROI from sitting on my butt!
No learning, no headaches, no problem.

 

Plus, you have to factor in all the mental anguish some trades has caused me. I had many sleepless nights. This wasn’t because of the massive eye strain staring at screens did to me (though I did wear special eye glasses for this). Losing trades really took a toll on me. Sometimes I couldn’t be level-headed. I didn’t want to jump off a ledge, but there is a lot of anxiety that comes with swing and day trading. The financial crisis of 2008 caused 5,000 suicides. Many of those people were traders.

These days, I trade less to keep my sanity. Trading doesn’t improve the world much or add value to something great: it only adds to your bottom line.

Life is more than padding your wallet.

If your personal life is starting to look like a crazy candle-stick stock chart that swings from one end to the other, what kind of life have you created? It’s just not worth it in the end.

ABC: Always Be Capitalizing

I believe what Robert Kiyosaki believes. You should always be investing, whether you’re an employee or a business owner. However, you have to invest the way that makes sense to you. It doesn’t have to be the center of your world or cause you massive mood swings.

If you have the capital and you’re interested in picking your own stocks, you could start with only investing 5%–10% of your funds. With the rest, have it professionally managed by people with Ph.D’s in economics and advanced degrees in asset management.

Teams of people who do this for a living with decades of experience are smarter than just you at this game. Let them worry about the details. Have them set up an ideal portfolio for your situation. You’ll sleep fine at night.

So what should you do with your time instead of mastering swing trading?

Find what you really want to do with your life that adds value to the world, and get to work!

[This article was originally featured in The Ascent, a top publication in Medium.]

NOTES

  • Investment Ideas — I got some good info and stock ideas from what they were doing at TraderHR.
  • Broker Accounts — I recommend MerrillEdge or Schwab’s High-Yield Investor Checking account. BofA’s MerrillEdge will give you lots of free trades (no fees) if you open an account with over $50,000. You can start a Schwab account for as little as $1,000. It conveniently connects a broker account to a checking and savings account. Plus, all ATM banking fees are reimbursed.
  • Schwab Advice — The quarterly print magazine Schwab mails to you is worth its weight in gold. I’d seriously pay for it, but it’s free with your account. It has great articles for long-term investors of every stripe. Contact me directly if you want a referral to a great advisor I trust.