Introverts struggle with confidence for a lot of reasons. Every trait they need to succeed in the workplace is extroverted in nature, from networking with people, talking to their bosses or supervisors, to speaking up at meetings (whether virtual or in-person). This makes it super easy for extroverts to shine at work, even though introverts may have more to offer (no shade!)
As a result, introverts find it hard to develop the confidence to handle social situations. They can have valuable ideas and information to share, but it remains stuck in their heads. In most cases, they struggle at work because they’re often misunderstood, judged for not being more outgoing, or even overlooked.
How can we solve this? Here are ten great ways introverts can develop at work and not let their introverted personality get in the way of their success.
Ways Introverts can Develop Confidence at work
Grant yourself some alone time.
You need to prioritize spending time alone with yourself. We all know that too much social interaction can drain introverts, but it’s hard to give yourself some alone time when working with others, especially extroverts. Your thoughts are particularly crowded with the things you must do, or you’re struggling to endure compulsory small talk from your colleagues.
But you need alone time to recuperate and recharge your social battery. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to interact with other people and share ideas, even though you have so much to bring to the table.
Prepare yourself.
No one achieves success without adequate preparation. Introverts are at their best when they’ve sorted their thoughts out and worked out problems by themselves, especially when they’ve had alone time.
You may not be able to say things off the hook like extroverts or instantly start a conversation, so you need to prepare yourself to avoid saying nothing at all. How do you prepare?
First of all, prepare yourself to entertain small talk. It may not be easy, as introverts detest it, but it’s a good way to build friendships and expand your network. Note that you don’t have to be the one to start the conversation.
Also, write down a few points to discuss at meetings or with your colleagues. If possible, rehearse what you’re going to say beforehand.
Use your thoughts to enhance your confidence.
Introverts dwell in their minds a lot, and tend to overthink everything. If someone does something bad to you at the office, you can spend your entire evening thinking about why you deserved such treatment and how you’d retaliate.
It’s easy to think about all the things that could go wrong. But instead of thinking about negative things, why don’t you switch the self-talk to the positive?
Change begins with the mind. Channel your thoughts to see yourself as a confident person. Be proud of your past achievements and the goals you have accomplished. Look at the things that make you special. Don’t ever entertain self-doubt or self-limiting beliefs.
Speak up first.
If you want to appear more confident, you have to take baby steps. One of the baby steps you can take is to speak up first in meetings, even if you don’t speak up again throughout that meeting. This automatically makes you appear confident because you’re the first to take the initiative.
Aside from speaking up first, speak up often. If you have intelligent ideas to share, share them. Volunteer to take on new projects. You don’t need to be the loudest, most social, or most outgoing person. Just ensure that you don’t leave that meeting unnoticed. Let your words convey confidence and leadership.
Ask questions.
Most of the time, introverts don’t appear confident or talk much in meetings because they’re struggling with what to say. They are always observing and their minds are always roaming with different ideas and insights, so it may be hard to pick what to actually say.
One easy hack to help you speak up more is to ask questions. This doesn’t mean that you should ask questions carelessly or the ones with obvious answers. Use your natural curiosity to ask intelligent questions. Look out for trends and different angles to the problem. Let your questions reflect the depth of your knowledge and research.
Focus on your strengths and accomplishments.
Introverts hate blowing their trumpets. Most of them are comfortable with staying in the background and letting others take the spotlight. This is why they’re often ignored or overlooked.
If you want to appear confident, focus on your strengths and think about all the things you’ve accomplished in the past. Learn to blow your trumpet and announce your success. You can’t leave that to people who don’t know how much work you put in to make it a success.
Don’t be afraid to talk about what you know and be in the spotlight for what you’ve worked hard for. When you project yourself as a successful and confident person, your workplace will have no option but to see you that way.
Change how you communicate.
One of the top traits of confident people is that they have effective communication skills.
When people think of communication skills, their minds only go to the art of speaking. But it’s way more than that.
Effective communication involves listening, speaking, and body language. Introverts are often great listeners, so they have that locked down. When you speak, ensure that you articulate your words properly. Don’t mumble, stutter, or use the wrong tone of voice.
Body language is another communication factor that people often overlook, but it takes up 80% of the pie. Your body language projects how confident you look, even before you listen to someone or say a word.
Ensure that you maintain eye contact. Looking down at your phone or somewhere else not only makes you look less confident, but it’s also disrespectful to the person(s) you’re communicating with. Stand upright. Don’t slouch or fold your hands at unwarranted times.
Dress appropriately.
Dressing boosts your confidence faster than anything you say or do will. If you think dressing doesn’t matter, you’re in for a long ride.
There is nothing like dressing for success. When you show up to that meeting, ensure that you look the part. As a woman, make sure your hair is properly styled. Don’t overaccessorize. Simple and elegant makes a statement every time. Wear clothing that is not revealing, or you will lose your confidence when people perceive you wrongly. Don’t put on too much makeup. You’re not going to a nightclub. Keep it simple.
As a man, make sure that your clothes are always ironed. Your hair should be neat. You can never go wrong with a nice watch.
Utilize one-on-one interactions.
Introverts thrive on deep, meaningful, one-on-one conversations. They can be quiet and reserved in a large meeting but very engaging and conversational when talking to someone, especially if it’s about something they’re genuinely interested in.
You can start by setting up personalized lunch dates for your team members and leveraging one-on-one interactions. This helps you to familiarize yourself not just with the project but with your team members as well. You could also reach out to your superiors and ask them for tips on how to succeed with your new project. You never know what people can offer until you actually interact with them.
Prepare for pauses.
Introverts need time to collect their thoughts and come up with something insightful to say. However, it’s not acceptable to take unwarranted pauses when talking to someone. They may see it as rude or disrespectful. Since you can’t afford to take any lapses, prepare for pauses. Look out for creative ways to make both parties comfortable during silence. How?
For instance, you can have a glass of water nearby to sip while thinking of what to say. If you’re close to the person, you can politely say, “Give me some time to think” or “Let me ruminate on this.” Also, you can take bathroom breaks when you’re starting to feel socially drained or exhausted.
Just don’t make it so obvious that you’re pausing in the middle of a conversation.
