Innovation is at the core of progress. Whether it’s brainstorming a new project or product, finding effective solutions to long-standing problems, or finding creative ways to communicate with your customer base, there is no better way forward than to continually evolve through innovation. However, the distance between efficient ideas and the ability to express them can be a long road for an introvert.
There is no doubt that both introverts and extroverts are capable of coming up with brilliant and creative ideas or solutions, but an introvert’s tendency to get anxious during social encounters, or at the mere thought of speaking up in a room full of people can hold them back from being able to express themselves with confidence, resulting in them not being heard and a possibly brilliant idea going to waste.
If you struggle with this issue yourself, here are 3 tips to help you circumvent it.
Trigger Your Creativity
Most of us have times that we are at our most creative, or that creativity strikes us. The trick is to figure out what triggers your creativity – whether it’s a time of day, a situation or your surroundings; alone or with others. Understanding what kind of environment is most conducive to getting your creativity fired up is the first step to becoming a better innovator.
Recognize the Pros & Cons
Whether you have a naturally introverted or more extroverted personality type, it will come with its own set of pros and cons. Innovators tend to be better listeners than extroverts, which enables them to consider the value of an idea assiduously; but they often experience trouble expressing their opinion on it. If this is the case, acknowledge the difficulties, as well as the benefits that come with being an introvert, and then prepare. Preparation might include writing your ideas down to present them during a brainstorming session, or knowing at which point in the session you want to speak up and practicing for it. Acknowledging the advantages of your personality type can help you to overcome the disadvantages.
Adapt to Context
It’s not possible to be in control of every situation, so in order to innovate better, it’s important to learn to adapt. If you’re in a brainstorming session with a group of people who are more introverted or hesitant to speak up, you can adapt to it by taking the lead – ask questions and help shape the creative process by leading the discussion and encouraging others to share their ideas. Adapting yourself to an extroverted style can help you express yourself more freely, and without the nervousness and anxiety that would normally accompany it.
