Introverts and Conferences = Oil and Water
Ahh, conferences. In so many ways I love going to conferences. I learn so much from workshops, I get inspired by keynote speakers and I get to visit locales that I never would have, e.g. New Orleans, Minneapolis, and so on. In fact not too long ago I returned from a conference that was in Orlando, which is a wonderful respite from the LONG winter in New England.
At the same time, conferences are difficult for someone like me who is an introvert. Of course what's always interesting to me is that people insist I'm not an introvert because I am sociable and a good conversationalist. This begs the question, "What do people think introverts are or do? A rock hiding under rocks?"
Anyway, as an introvert I've come to accept that my energy stores will be somewhat depleted when I get home. Yet I've learned to navigate the very extroverted spaces at conferences by connecting with other attendees one on one, walking through the resource expos on my own, staying in a single room and skipping some (actually most!) of the social events. Overall this has been a workable strategy. At the same time conference planners and speakers tend to talk up the social events and the vital importance of networking at such events. By the end of their "you've got to go" speeches, I feel like a pariah for not wanting to go.
At the Orlando conference, I got to meet a small group of introverts and we talked about what it meant to attend as an introvert. I felt energized by being with these three women because I truly believe that introverts and extroverts expend and give energy in different ways. Thus being with these four introverts, my energy was actually renewed and not being sucked out my pores as it often feels like when I'm with just one extrovert!
I asked one of these women, Tasha Adams, to share with me about her experience. She wrote:
"I absolutely love attending conferences and meeting new people. Although an introvert, I am a very social person. I also crave new knowledge and analyzing perspectives other than my own; therefore, if I could attend at least one conference a month I most definitely would do so. However, there are times during any given conference that my surroundings overstimulate me. For example, most activities that require me to work with a group of 10 or more people seem to cause my brain to fizzle and shut down. I like to decipher the "whole picture" so this picture becomes too complicated for me to process when there are 10 or more people rapidly adding to the canvas.
That being said, we all have our own preferences for interacting with others. Instead of forcing myself into overwhelming discomfort to mingle with dozens of people at once, I seek out activities that allow me to talk to a handful of people at a time. At the ACA Conference, I do believe that there were opportunities for small-group interactions during which introverts could have felt sufficiently at ease to make contributing remarks. I am not as certain that these opportunities are perceived as socially acceptable alternatives in such an extroverted climate."
My hope that someday that those who plan conferences keep in mind the diversity of personalities when considering social events and networking opportunities. I wouldn't mind taking advantage of all that free food at a social event - just not with three thousand people!
At the same time, conferences are difficult for someone like me who is an introvert. Of course what's always interesting to me is that people insist I'm not an introvert because I am sociable and a good conversationalist. This begs the question, "What do people think introverts are or do? A rock hiding under rocks?"
Anyway, as an introvert I've come to accept that my energy stores will be somewhat depleted when I get home. Yet I've learned to navigate the very extroverted spaces at conferences by connecting with other attendees one on one, walking through the resource expos on my own, staying in a single room and skipping some (actually most!) of the social events. Overall this has been a workable strategy. At the same time conference planners and speakers tend to talk up the social events and the vital importance of networking at such events. By the end of their "you've got to go" speeches, I feel like a pariah for not wanting to go.
At the Orlando conference, I got to meet a small group of introverts and we talked about what it meant to attend as an introvert. I felt energized by being with these three women because I truly believe that introverts and extroverts expend and give energy in different ways. Thus being with these four introverts, my energy was actually renewed and not being sucked out my pores as it often feels like when I'm with just one extrovert!
I asked one of these women, Tasha Adams, to share with me about her experience. She wrote:
"I absolutely love attending conferences and meeting new people. Although an introvert, I am a very social person. I also crave new knowledge and analyzing perspectives other than my own; therefore, if I could attend at least one conference a month I most definitely would do so. However, there are times during any given conference that my surroundings overstimulate me. For example, most activities that require me to work with a group of 10 or more people seem to cause my brain to fizzle and shut down. I like to decipher the "whole picture" so this picture becomes too complicated for me to process when there are 10 or more people rapidly adding to the canvas.
That being said, we all have our own preferences for interacting with others. Instead of forcing myself into overwhelming discomfort to mingle with dozens of people at once, I seek out activities that allow me to talk to a handful of people at a time. At the ACA Conference, I do believe that there were opportunities for small-group interactions during which introverts could have felt sufficiently at ease to make contributing remarks. I am not as certain that these opportunities are perceived as socially acceptable alternatives in such an extroverted climate."
My hope that someday that those who plan conferences keep in mind the diversity of personalities when considering social events and networking opportunities. I wouldn't mind taking advantage of all that free food at a social event - just not with three thousand people!
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