The Art of Shouting Quietly: A Guide to Self-Promotion for Introverts and Other Quiet Souls – Pete Mosley

First published on Alt Magazine.
There’s a lot of brilliant people out there. But we don’t always hear about them, because society is formed in a way that suggests that to be brilliant you must be bold, brash, shout loudly and tell everyone about your brilliance. This doesn’t come easy to everyone, and as Pete Mosley states in his new book, The Art of Shouting Quietly: A Guide to Self-Promotion for Introverts and Other Quiet Souls it does not need to. Introversion can be a strength in itself. Pete Mosley identifies as an introvert, but has made his name as a writer and coach helping people name the beasts that hold them back – and to systematically engage with and overcome them.
Filled with worksheets sweetly illustrated by Clare Duffy and in a folder format the book feels like a project planner for self promotion. The first half is about recognising the strengths and qualities that you have, understanding your place in the world, your drivers and values, and trying to instil the confidence that you have the power and freedom to shape your world. He doesn’t suggest that as an introvert or shy person you change, but instead realise that these are qualities that can be employed to your advantage. As he says ‘The Art of Shouting Quietly, in some senses, will encourage you to become ninja-like in the application of your strengths rather than fretting about your weaknesses.’

Knowing what makes you excited and motivated to live your day is what you need more of – and deserve more of it. Exercises include writing down what boosts your confidence and what diminishes it, identifying the times in your life that let you shine, and deciding your priorities. Confidence is key, and the techniques aim to help the reader ‘systematically reinforcing your belief in yourself, understanding what you are put on this planet to do, being true to your values, knowing that you can shape your sense of what is possible, having a plan and a strong sense of purpose, and knowing how to ask for help.’ Pushing through the fear and uncertainty to a place where things start to happen is not easy – but introverts are just as capable as extroverts.
The book then moves through strategies to tell the world about this, including social media tips, public speaking, branding and profile building. By listening to others, identifying those who inspire us and mapping out our networks it becomes clear what we already have, not just what we want to have. Throughout the book self confessed introverts share their stories of seizing opportunities and showing up, from sending ‘cheeky letters’ to taking risks. His approach is direct and reassuring, without sounding cheesy, with sentences such as ‘You are, by nature, one of the fascinating people on the planet’ and ‘You have the power and the right to create your own framework of possibility.’

What makes this book different is the way that it sees self promotion as starting within, the confidence inside rippling out into the world and echoing your qualities loudly until others can see them. Mosley is a creative soul, and recognises that ‘stories are the currency of human relationships’ and really, through all the motivating talk, promotion techniques and confidence strategies that is what this book is about – finding your own story, and telling it to the world.