Hey, Introverts: Read This Before Emailing an Extrovert
Email and Netflix and books and PJs: If you’re an introvert, these are a few of your favorite things. But while smartphones and the internet are glorious inventions, chances are pretty much 100 percent that you’re going to have to interact with an extrovert at some point. And surprise—extroverts don’t like to communicate the same way introverts do.
Take your extroverted boss, for example. As an introvert, it’s probably much easier for you to get all of your thoughts and feelings out in an email than it is to march up to your project manager and tell them everything that’s on your mind. But you know how your emails tend to get…long? Yep. Exactly.
“Extroverts, who often prefer to discuss issues or ideas in person, might skim through only the first paragraphs,” Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy tell us in their book, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work. A better, more effective solution? Write out everything you want to say, then edit it down into concise bullet points before sending an email—or even better, bring your notes over and chat it out in person.
While this is a great tip for introverts to streamline communication at work, the same rule applies for your extroverted aunt, best friend or that PTA mom from your kid’s class who won’t stop calling you about the bake sale. It might push you out of your comfort zone, but when you’re communicating with an extrovert, it’s best to keep it short or do it in person.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled texting.
