Confessions of a Public Relations Introvert

On my personal Facebook page a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had been attending a conference and that my reserves were a little low. This seemed to surprise a few folks who assumed that because I am in public relations, I am an extrovert.

While it’s true that most roles in PR require some “on” time, not all PR professionals are extroverts. In fact, there are several studies and publications, like this one from Elise Herrera-Green at the Annenberg School for Communication and Susan Cain’s 2013 “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” that say just the opposite.

In keeping with my quick-list format, I’ve comprised five reasons why introverts make great public relations professionals.

• Deeper meanings: Introverts are known for being focused on the deeper meaning behind words and actions. We’re natural thinkers. This ability makes it easier to get to the heart of a story and really understand how and where it fits in the world. It’s that understanding that makes pitching to the right media outlets and publications successful.

• Written words: The phone can be a nightmare for many introverts. While it will always play a role in a PR practitioner’s job, having the ability to compose thoughtful written messages – be they emails, handwritten notes, or even social media posts and responses – can go a long way to cultivating great relationships. 

• Public speaking: Believe it or not, we actually make pretty good public speakers. In her 2013 Huffington Post article, “23 Signs You’re Secretly An Introvert,” Carolyn Gregoire makes the point that introverts would rather address an audience of 500 people over talking to a few one-on-one. Anecdotally, this is true. In an informal poll of the introverts in my house (that’d be the husband, the dog, and me) 100 percent of us would rather give a speech to a full stadium, with our prepared notes, than talk to a group of 10 individually. Going back to my first point, we’re good at getting to the heart of the story and delivering the important messages without the fluff. 

• Passion: Because introverts spend more time thinking about our subjects, we tend to connect with them and develop a passion for their stories. This makes us the best advocates for our clients, organizations, and brands. In my own experience, this is true. I’ve had more than one journalist tell me they can feel the passion when I talk about my organization.

• Listening: Introverts, by definition, listen more than they speak. This makes us great at getting the full picture of what our clients need or want to say. Likewise, it gives us the uncanny ability to think before responding to reporters’ questions. Though the 24/7 news cycle and always on social media mean tighter and tougher deadlines for journalists, PR professionals who can listen and form thoughtful responses are less likely to make careless errors.

For those who might be curious, my Myers-Briggs Indicator is INFJ-T/INTJ-T. (I’m 50/50 on the Thinking and Feeling.) If you’ve never taken the test, or if it’s been a while, you can do so for free here. Understanding where we fall on the MBTI scale can help us use our traits to our advantage.

This week’s extra credit reading includes these two articles from PR Daily on how introverts can flourish in PR and this article from Stephanie Shirley.

Cheers!