What does the word “introvert” conjure up for you? In our hyper-pumped business and social environment, it may mean “serial killer who lives in his mother’s basement,” or perhaps “that desperately shy dude who blushes and looks at his feet at the slightest sign of attention.”
And yet, an accurate definition of introversion is pretty far from that. As an introvert (INTJ), I have first-hand experience and so has Beth Mayer, whose career in PR is thriving. In her article “Introverts: You too can flourish in PR,” she does a great job of dispelling misinformation around what introverts are all about and points out what can make them extremely valuable in PR. I say these attributes can give us an edge in business in general and in our relationships with friends, family, and our SOs as well.
(By the way, I’m just about ready to dip into Susan Cain’s book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.”
So, how does one describe introverts? Well, they tend to like quiet environments. They listen more than speak. (Small talk is usually a pain.) They like quality over quantity in relationships, and they want their work to mean something (at least to them.)
Here’s why introverts may do well in PR—and as I mentioned earlier—elsewhere.
They listen and think before opening their mouths. I did a stint in PR a million years ago, and I can tell you that journalists don’t have time to listen to blather. That, and instant decisions, as Ms. Mayer puts it, can lead to mistakes. Think about the recent reaccomodation crisis on United. I’m betting there are a lot of folks who wish the whole strategy had been better thought out from start to finish—from policy to communications around the incident.
They go for calm. Pretty much goes without saying, eh? One of Ms. Mayer’s managers once referred to her as “the office hostage negotiator” because of her ability to calm tense situations and keep everyone focused. Think about it. Can you imagine a hothead who thrives on action negotiating a successful resolution? (Actually, I think John McClain in the first Die Hard was the quintessential introvert, though he might not initially appear that way.)
For them, less is more. In this era of social media, this thought is heretical, but hey … Ms. Mayer says, “I would argue that having close, long-term relationships with your clients, your news sources and your influencers is vastly more effective than casually ‘pinging’ thousands of contacts every week. What introverts prize, I think, is how energizing it is to think through and genuinely exchange ideas with the few, rather than the many.
They like to be prepared. And this requires research, which can be a real tough sell when everyone else wants to move fast, thinks you’re being unduly fussy, and worries that being prepared will take too long. This whole idea of being prepared actually plays into an idea from last week’s post about negative feedback—the idea that you may want to take some time to think about what you say and do before you say and do it.
As a proud introvert, I say we’re A-OK. We have a valid contribution to make to make in a variety of fields, even those that may have been reserved for the more extroverted along the continuum.
Only, at the end of a long work day, wait until we’ve gone to the gym or give us an hour after we’ve stepped in the door to decompress before you interact with any depth.
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