Most people believe that to major in Public Relations they have to be an extrovert. One thing I have learned this year is that Public Relations may be full of extroverts, but being an introvert presents positives and negatives not found in the extrovert personality.
- Introverts are strong listeners
Pro: Listening is an essential skill in the world of Public Relations. PR professionals have to listen to clients, potential audiences, coworkers, and many other people. Listening is important, specifically with clients, because clients want to be heard and understood.
Con: Introverts tend to make listening a priority which can be both good and bad. Sometimes people think introverts are stuck up, uninterested, or shy because they tend to listen and contemplate a reply before communicating.
- Introverts are strong communicators
Pro: Introverts tend to analyze situations and think of future repercussions before speaking. This is important in the world of PR because it is essential that we think through what we are going to say and the possible consequences.
Con: Many extroverts enjoy group discussions and bouncing ideas off of each other. These ideas can range from the topic at hand to something absolutely crazy… but this is how most extroverts thrive. Introverts usually like to process on their own before participating in a brainstorm with others.
- Introverts know how to delegate
Pro: Introverts don’t crave the spotlight but rather prefer working behind the scenes. Because of this, introverts tend to be strong delegators. They have to know the strengths of each team member and know how to delegate the work accordingly.
Con: Because introverts do not like the spotlight they are sometimes viewed as being dispassionate about their work.
Introverts and extroverts may approach projects differently but they can work together to create a well-rounded project.
By Ailis Bull, Junior Account Executive, Communication Department
