Have you ever played the icebreaker game of Two Truths and a Lie where you make three statements about yourself and the others have to guess which is a lie? I thought it might be fun to talk about Introverted traits and see if any of you can relate to the common assumptions about Introverts.
Two Truths and a Lie
- In conversation, it’s pretty easy to tell when someone has a preference for Introversion
- Introverts tend to keep to themselves
- If you want to be friendly with an Introvert, don’t just stop by to say Hi
I’ll give you a minute to decide which you think is a lie among the truths.
Seems like a good time to throw in a picture:
Photo by kelsiedipernaphotography on Flickr
Okay, time’s up. What do you think? Let’s go over the statements.
In conversation, it’s pretty easy to tell when someone has a strong preference for Introversion
In my experience, detecting an Introverted preference during conversation is relatively easy. When you ask a question, how long does it take for the person to respond and how organized is their answer? How you interpret the answer will be based on your knowledge of the person and the context of the question, but generally an Introvert will pause before answering to process the question and their response will be more organized than that of someone who prefers Extraversion.
I consider this statement to be true.
Introverts tend to keep to themselves
There are many Introverts who hesitate to identify themselves as such because the American public seems to believe that means they don’t like to be around people. This is simply not the case. Being introverted is not the same as being antisocial. While it is true that Introverts need down time to recharge, this doesn’t have to happen in a vacuum. There are many Introverts who recharge around family or close friends, though generally not in conversation. They read, watch TV, hike – anything that gives them some time to reflect or just to not focus on the frenzied outside world. Introverts can’t recharge by interacting with people, but most will say that having a few folks around during a calm activity is quite nice.
This statement is false.
If you want to be friendly with an Introvert, don’t just stop by to say Hi
While Introverts can be quite social, stopping by to say a quick Hello just because you were in the area can derail their train of thought for some time. A Gallup study recently found that after an interruption it takes someone about 25 minutes (rounding up) to get back on task. With Introverts, it can take even longer. If you want to be friendly with an Introvert, send them a quick email or Instant Message (IM) and let them know you’re hoping to drop by in about half an hour. Don’t just drop in because they were sitting quietly at their desk. You’re relationship will be better for it.
This statement is true.
Your Turn
Do you prefer Introversion or Extraversion? Do my opinions about the above statements match your experiences? Tell me the in the comments.
PS – You can read more about 5 Ways to Guess Someone’s Personality Type in this earlier post.
