The Daily “Swirl”
So you’re juggling deadlines, meeting with stakeholders and subject matter experts, trying to keep it all straight. You feel that you don’t have a moment to breathe, nor to process information that’s coming at you from multiple angles. If only you could have a quiet corner to think, process, and produce. Does any of this feel familiar? You might be an introvert in an extrovert’s world. Rest assured you’re not alone and there are strategies to survive and even thrive in the technical communications industry.
We chiefly live in an extroverted world in the high tech industry and elsewhere. Time and again, we hear about concepts like “working out loud,” “teamwork innovation,” and “organization disruption.” I feel these are useful strategies and am not disputing the value of team work and group communication. However, in an environment that showcases the above strategies, it may be time to inject some more quietness and internal reflection into the equation.
Introverts are not anti-social and extroverts are not social butterflies. The key distinction is where each gets their energy: for introverts, typically from quiet time to reflect and recharge; for extroverts, typically from social time to express and recharge. You do not fall into one of personality type or the other; rather on a continuum. Everyone will showcase an affinity towards one of these or perhaps something in the middle.
As Susan Cain identifies, one third to a half of the world’s population identify as introverts. Also, in her Power of Introverts Ted Talk, she identifies the need for more of a yin-yang balance of this personality spectrum. The key is to find environments that you thrive in and set yourself up for success – even better, an environment that allows for varieties of success (some individual, some shared) to go along with varieties of personalities.
As someone who identifies as an introvert, I’m fortunate to be in a work environment where I have a place. I see time and again that this energy type can actually work nicely in a fast-paced, seemingly outward environment such as the high tech industry. Here are some aspects of the personality that I feel are compatible with the role of a technical writer:
NOTE: The values inherent in these points are not solely held by introverts. No matter what personality type, technical writers generally share these goals and values but may come at them from different angles depending on how they work and think. And that’s a good thing.
The key, no matter what personality type you identify with, is to find a balance in the work environment. There’s no one personality type, nor should any one be dominant over the other. A team of different personality types can be a wonderful thing, so long as the diversity of perspectives can have time and space to breathe. As Susan Cain puts it in her Ted Talk, we need armies of different people to solve problems.
If you identify as an introvert, I hope you identified with some points in this post and think about how you can succeed in an environment that may not always feel like a natural fit.
If you identify as an extrovert, I hope you gained perspective on where introvert energy lies and ideas for how to better collaborate.
As team members, I hope you embrace the diverse personality types that make up your team and recognize the strength that results when they all have a voice.