The power of introverts in public relations

Tina: Mark, I’m really excited to talk about this month’s column because I think we can clear up a common misperception in our industry. Do you have to be an extravert to be successful in the public relations industry? And are most leaders and conference presenters in our industry extraverts? And if so, are we missing hearing from those powerful introverted voices in leadership?

Mark:  Good question. As an extrovert myself, I’m just too busy talking to think much about it. The Latin roots of “extravert” are revealing: The prefix extra means “outside,” and the Latin vertere means “to turn.” As such, extraverts turn outward and introverts turn inward.

Tina: I do think as an industry we favor extraversion, when both traits have important benefits, depending on the circumstances. Believing extraversion is superior to introversion, though, is disadvantageous when we think about inclusion. I also suspect that we may believe that those who are more extraverted, more outspoken and who appear to be more confident with their presence are more competent leaders, which I think is a fallacy.