Communication for introverts: Why being an introvert might be better than you think

I once shared an apartment in Vienna with a woman whose job was to travel to schools and ask the schoolchildren to choose between herself and a colleague as to which one had Jewish heritage. 

The children all got it wrong and pointed out hideous bias, which was the point of their work. And that was 50 years after the war ended! 

These mindsets we have about who we are (and who others are) can guide choices and be life-limiting. 

Communication for introverts

I am with a marvellous group of companies here in Byron Bay this week for a three-day workshop, and our speaker last night was Jo Stanley from Broad Radio. Jo wowed the audience with the idea that an introvert can spend a successful lifetime career in radio. The introverts were very keen to know how that was possible. 

Here’s the thing. We often get confused about what works for us internally and what works in communication. But introversion and extroversion are just ways of gaining energy in the world. As a presenter, I assure you that no one is interested in your inner processes. 

Introverts can be excellent communicators

I worked with a client from New York this week who, as an introvert, told me she needs to pause for long silences when being interviewed to show she is considering the question. Wrong. In that environment, trust is actually undermined. 

This is not to say that you might not manage introvert or extrovert audiences differently. That’s a separate topic. 

But, as a presenter, your introversion or extroversion is your issue and yours alone. Extroverts need to manage to blurt out their stream of consciousness, and introverts need to keep going and stop reflecting. 

And here’s the kicker – It is often shown that introverts make better presenters than extroverts. So don’t give up on communication for introverts. You likely have everything you need!