How to Thrive in an Extrovert World As an Introvert

People tend to assume that extroverts get ahead in the workplace (and in life in general), leaving introverts behind. However, introverts can easily keep pace with the extroverts and do well in all aspects of their lives if they can learn to take advantage of their strengths and be willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone from time to time.

Part 1 - Playing to Your Strengths

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→ Choose careers/professions that suit your personality and traits. Take pride in the strengths that come with being an introvert and leverage them in order to find a career path that suits you.

→ Scientists, writers (technical and content writing), programmers, researchers, auditors, accountants, translator, lab technician etc. These are some of the jobs that match the personality of an introvert.

→ They offer autonomy, require people who have a keen eye for detail, and don't necessitate too much interaction with colleagues.

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→ Realize that you have an eye for detail. Introverts tend to bury themselves into whatever it is they're working on and dig deep for facts, details and information. You can put your heart and soul into everything you undertake - be it a simple school level assignment or a crucial project.

→ Even the minutest details matter to you, so you are able to see things that other people would overlook. This gives you ownership over those points, aspects and ideas which others have no access to.

→ You are able to think outside of the box to deliver unique and customized solutions, products and services. This trait is crucial in professions such as auditor, accountant, researchers, scientists.

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→ Be proud of the fact that your are reflective and think before you speak or act. You are not in the habit of thinking aloud or saying/doing something just for the sake of it. When you say something you mean it, so it's no wonder that people take you seriously.

→ You are a taskmaster. You are capable of commanding respect. So you come across as firm, decisive, unwavering, as one who weighs all pros and cons, not impulsive. You just don’t say something-you come thoroughly prepared and what you say is completely backed by facts.

→ As a result, people take you and what you say seriously. Therefore you are the ideal mediator or arbitrator. You are the Mr. or Mrs. Reliable of your organization/department

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→ Take advantage of your excellent listening skills. You prefer to use your ears more than your mouth. Your preferred method of communicating is to spend more time listening to your inner thoughts and to others rather than talking or participating in discussions with others.

→ Good listening skills are one of the prerequisites for maintaining harmony, good relations and managing crisis both in our professional and personal lives.

→ Good listening skills lay the foundation for nurturing relationships. Especially in the corporate world, this trait is essential to succeed in professions such as sales, customer service, counselling.

→ Since you are so good at listening, you can easily absorb what others are saying - their ideas, views, suggestions - and incorporate them to suit the needs and requirements of everybody involved.

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→ Deal with people one-on-one where possible. Introverts find it easier to show their extrovert side when engaged with a single person instead of a group of people at the same time. This can be to your advantage.

→ For example, you could strike up a rapport with a client or customer for a particular project. Instead of interacting with multiple people on the same project, you can focus on the one person. Since you are a good listener and very detail oriented, it is easy for you to strike a chord with a single person.

→ With your kind of personality it is easy for you to understand his needs and requirements and be proactive in offering him the best products, services and solutions. This can make you a success with clients and customers.

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→ Play up your preference for writing as opposed to talking. Another preferred method of communication for introverts is writing rather than talking.

→ Introverts can articulate and express themselves wonderfully through writing. But, if they are expected to deliver the same content through oral communication, they become very uncomfortable and withdraw.

→ Your reflective, introspective and contemplative nature enables you to innovative and create. However, this ability to innovate and invent comes out best through your writing, so use this to your advantage by choosing a job that requires use of the written word.

Part 2 - Succeeding in the Workplace

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→ Try to be more assertive. You put in lot of hard work, you you have the facts and the content, but if you do not know the proper way to convey the message then you can lose out to others. Or somebody else who is a good talker might take the credit for your hard work, which can be extremely frustrating.

→ Therefore, it's important that you learn how to speak up for yourself and that you do not hesitate to speak wherever and whenever necessary about what you can do, what you have done, your strengths, capabilities.

→ You may prefer to work behind the scenes silently, but it is equally important for you to take center stage from time to time if you wish to make your mark. If you are unwilling to be assertive, remember that there are scores of other people out there who are prepared to walk all over you in order to move up the ladder.

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→ Practice speaking in front of others. You can prepare and practice what you would like to speak, but also remember to practice how you would like to say what you intend to say. Practice the right pace, intonation and pitch to deliver the message.

→ Being an introvert, you would probably find interrupting somebody rude and would prefer not to do it yourself. But, keep in mind that extroverts or the good talkers are usually good at interrupting/interjecting the speakers, when somebody interrupts your mind goes blank, you feel like escaping from that place with all the eyes fixed on you and you not knowing how to and what to respond.

→ Such incidents send jitters or scare you or make you retreat into oblivion. So, practice how you would face them, what you would say in such case, how you would respond, how you would tackle it …because introverts are usually not extemporaneous speakers and need time to prepare. So it really helps to be prepared to speak up.

→ For example, when somebody interrupts you you can politely but firmly ask them to wait till you finish, or that you have allotted time for questions at the end of your presentation and so their question has to wait.

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→ Make the best of your ability to write well. Since introverts are better at writing than talking, you can use this characteristic to sell yourself, showcase your work and project and yourself as a capable worker.

→ Since you feel more comfortable communicating in writing than talking, produce effective e-mails to strike the right chord and to convey your message in the most effective manner. You can develop the skill to communicate in writing as if talking to them.

→ Since you have excellent attention to detail, are focused and strive for perfection, you can also be an extremely good choice for writing important documents such as proposals and business plans.

→ You can also showcase your work using professional networks such as LinkedIn as well as social websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

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→ Make your opinion known, one way or the other. Introverts often find it somewhat discomforting and disconcerting to be vocal in meetings, brainstorming sessions and discussions. This can put them and their careers at risk. To mitigate the risk, introverts should use their writing skills.

→ For example, after the meeting, brainstorming session or whatever it is you could send out an e-mail stating your observations on the particular topic, your views and suggestions, or any other data to substantiate your position. What's effective about this is that everything you say can be substantiated by evidence, research and deliberations, which creates a good impression

→ Additionally, putting your thoughts in writing saves you from having to do the talking. So, the question of getting confused, going blank, or experiencing discomfort due to the presence of a lot of people can be avoided.

→ Also, if you need to commend a subordinate for his or her good work and are at loss for words, you could use the power of writing. However, keep in mind that the technique works best when writing is used in combination with a certain amount of face-to-face communication.

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→ Prepare for any meetings, presentations or discussions in all possible ways. Prepare not just in terms of what the content would be, but also on how you plan on delivering the content in terms of the pace, pitch and tone.

→ Think about the possible questions you could be posed and how you would respond to those questions, how you would respond when somebody interrupts your speech/presentation, how you plan to break the ice in the room, the best strategies to attract the attention of the participants and what strategies to adopt to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

→ Dealing with too many people at the same time and too much conversation can be exhausting for an introvert, particularly if you are unprepared. Therefore, it's important to practice in order to strengthen any weak areas. By repeatedly doing this you will get used to handling meetings, presentations, questions with confidence and assertiveness over time.

TIPS

→ People cannot see your thoughts. Only you can show them your thoughts by putting them into words in front of them. So share your ideas, thoughts, views.

→ Along with many other advantages, extroverts have an upper hand when it comes to grabbing opportunities, accepting credit for something done well and influencing people.

Warnings

→ Never undersell yourself. Introverts tend to undersell themselves because they cannot market and promote themselves, as they are less inclined to open up about themselves in front of others. They are averse to talking about themselves as they consider it bragging. However, you need to learn the difference between bragging and beneficial self-promotion, especially when it comes to job interviews.