The 5 Most Common Issues Faced by Introverts in 2022 and How to Tackle Them

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In 2022, I’ve coached over a hundred introverts who faced challenges in their work roles.

Each described their experiences with different words, but the pattern I noticed was the same: a desire to have more impact and influence with their teams, in their company, in their industry — but they did not know how.

Early in my career, I thought that to be a leader or to have impact, I needed to be an extrovert — cos’ hey, that’s the picture of what a leader looks like, right? But I was tired pretending to be someone I was not. Then I realised, this whole time, I created tiny habits for myself; practical techniques that allowed me to have impact and influence while remaining my true authentic self. I started sharing these techniques, as talks, as articles, through coaching and then as an online community for introverts. And these techniques work.

The following are 5 of the most frequent challenges faced by introverts I’ve coached, and some practical techniques on how you can tackle them:

1. Meetings

• Problem: “I find it hard to come up with things to say quickly”, “I think too much and do not speak up enough”, “my mind goes blank and I can’t think of anything to say when put on the spot”
• Practical techniques you can try: give yourself license to speak up before you are ready by prefacing “it’s not fully formed but here’s one idea I have so far”. During the meeting, take notes of the conversation or draw your thoughts; when your mind goes blank, you have a visual record to fall back on. Send agendas for meetings beforehand — introverts can prepare and come fully prepared to participate.

2. Facilitating workshops

• Problem: “how do I interject or interrupt when 2 people are going off-topic?”, “People keep asking me questions but I don’t have all the answers and I freeze?”, “I can’t manage the conversation and take notes on the whiteboard at the same time; it’s too much!”
• Practical techniques you can try: As facilitator, your job is not to have all the answers — that’s the participants’ role. You are the bus driver with only one job — get everyone on the bus to their destination on time, on topic. To do that, you need to listen and observe (which introverts do naturally and very well); so assign note taking, time keeping and all other roles to other participants. In your introduction, tell participants you may interrupt them to keep the session on track. Start with an agenda for the workshop and get all participants to agree on scope — it’s easier to tell someone they are off-topic if you have all agreed, as a group, on the topics at the start. Publicly record the discussion where everyone can see/follow the discussion.

3. Public speaking

• Problem: “As a leader I’m expected to speak up at team events but I hate public speaking”, “I get so nervous I forget what I wanted to say”
• Practical technique you can try: Knee jerk and say YES to a speaking event that you KNOW is right and good for you and your team. Doing this switches your thinking from “what excuse can I make to get out of this?” to “ok, i’ve committed to speak publicly; now how best can I prepare?”. Rehearse your introduction (i.e. your first 3mins) — if you start well, it gives you confidence and you are more likely to end well. Speak slower — this lets your thoughts catchup with your mouth. Vary the speed at which you speak — slow down for emphasis and speed up filler words. Pause to emphasise a point — it also gives you a moment for your thoughts to form and catch up.

4. Leadership and Management

• Problem: “The introverts on my team are so quiet and say nothing. How can I get them to speak up more?”
• Practical technique you can try: You can design the type of team you want to be, together. It starts with team norms (credit: Christina Wodtke) — unspoken behaviours people accept as “oh that’s just the culture of the team; I can’t do anything about it”. Intentionally articulate your team’s norms and focus on behaviours — what kind of team do you want to be? Are we the kind of team that interrupts each other mid-sentence? Do we shout over each other to be heard? Or do we pass the microphone around the room so everyone has a voice? Defining what is acceptable behaviour creates mutual accountability and a safe space for teammates to bring their whole selves to work; introverts, extroverts and ambiverts included.

5. Networking

• Problem: “I feel awkward talking to strangers”, “I stick to the people I know and seldom meet new people even though I want to”
• Practical techniques you can try: Networking is all about growing the network of people who you can help and who can help you. For in-person networking, don’t stand in one spot; walk the room — this increases your “surface area” and chances you will meet someone interesting. Practice your intro script, and keep it short, punchy and memorable — “Hi, I’m Tim. I’m a design leader at IBM and I’m a foodie — What about you?” or “Hi, I’m Tim. I coach introverts to have impact and influence without pretending to be extroverts. What about you?”
• These days, most of my networking is done online. Follow people you respect on social media and follow who they follow. For 15mins a day on social media, comment on a post, join a conversation, say hi to someone new. When posting content, have a regular cadence. Your posts can be small (e.g. re-sharing a meme), medium (e.g. asking an interesting question) or large (e.g. a thoughtful article you’ve written).

Conclusion

Introversion is not a flaw, it’s not a disability. It’s a superpower. With simple, tiny habits and practical techniques, you can manage your introversion and use it as the gift that it is.

About Tim Yeo

Tim Yeo is a design leader at IBM and an introvert. He coaches introverts at The Quiet Achiever to have impact and influence without pretending to be extroverts.

Are you an introvert struggling with these issues? My 4-week introvert course has just launched ! — Checkout: www.thequietachievr.com