Introvert Coaching

Many introverts have been labelled all their lives with words such as ALOOF, AWKWARD, QUIET and UNFRIENDLY, to name just a few.

From childhood, many have been urged to be more extroverted by becoming more animated, outgoing and outrageous. Introversion is a healthy temperament, and you do not need to change the fundamentals of your identity as a deep thinker, creative thinker, and innovator. However, modern workplaces and society in general gravitate toward extroverts, whether through open-plan offices, distractions from smartphones, or constant meetings. The needs of introverts, such as the ability to construct boundaries to reduce external stimulation, are often ignored.

In today’s workplace, we emphasise the loudest employees in a meeting who present ideas and strategies and can easily speak to peers and management up to the top. Yet, despite introverts making up a significant proportion of the world’s population, workplaces and society’s preferences lean toward extroversion.

Introversion and extroversion are temperaments that sit on opposite sides of a spectrum. Introversion takes different forms, from individuals thriving in near solitude to those mixing alone time with socialisation. The introvert’s mental battery expends energy through being with others and recharging alone or with close friends and family. The extrovert experience is the reverse. Some introverts’ characteristics make them less likely to enjoy risk-taking or intense experiences such as loud noises and sounds, and they also take more time to retrieve information from long-term memory. 

By allowing space for ideas to surface, taking longer pauses, and holding space, our clients may need to dig deeper to deepen their learning and forward their actions.

Deepening the learning.

Sharing the concept of introversion alone and allowing clients to explore it can lead to rewards and breakthroughs by clearly explaining who you are and why. We can work on areas such as inner criticism, overt criticism from others around us, shyness, imposter syndrome, or low self-confidence. We can also explore the stories you may tell yourself to deal with these experiences.

Forwarding the action.

Through introvert coaching, we will work hard together to find solutions that challenge and stretch you without fundamentally changing who you are. Self-awareness of whether you are inside or outside your comfort zone is an important part of forwarding the action. To reach your goals, you will need to temporarily step outside your comfort zone. Growth will occur here, but knowing in the present moment that you can always return to what makes you comfortable when you need self-care. We can work together during our coaching program to help clients become aware of their needs, understand that introversion is normal, and plan sufficient downtime.