<story><title>Networking for introverts</title><url>https://www.economist.com/business/2023/09/07/networking-for-introverts-a-how-to-guide</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>SanderNL</author><text>Don&amp;#x27;t want to awaken any sleeping dogs here, but what the author describes reminds me more of social anxiety and&amp;#x2F;or self-esteem issues than introversion.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m an introvert. I can sit still and not speak to anyone for weeks and be fine. Happier even. Having no-one around recharges me like nothing else. The reverse is true as well which makes me incredibly popular at parties &amp;#x2F;s.&lt;p&gt;When I was young(er), a networking event (or social event of any kind tbh) would have scared me to no end and have me act akward. I&amp;#x27;m older now and through the grace of aging I give substantially less fucks. Suddenly these things are no longer the problem they once were. My introversion hasn&amp;#x27;t changed, in fact I think it got worse.&lt;p&gt;I have somewhat of a test for this. I think about or even just approach a random person and try to strike a conversation as authentically as I&amp;#x27;m able. If even the thought gets me nervous, that&amp;#x27;s anxiety, not introversion. In my experience a bout of introversion-hunger will feel like &amp;quot;I need to space out now&amp;quot;. Like I can&amp;#x27;t even be bothered with anxiety anymore.&lt;p&gt;Getting rid of anxiety has a massive ROI. Getting rid of introversion won&amp;#x27;t work and will probably backfire. At least, that&amp;#x27;s my experience.</text></comment>
<story><title>Networking for introverts</title><url>https://www.economist.com/business/2023/09/07/networking-for-introverts-a-how-to-guide</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>Tycho</author><text>I think extroversion and introversion are just orthogonal skill sets. The solution can simply be “get better at extroversion.”&lt;p&gt;For instance, small talk. You may style yourself as someone too intellectual to be entertained by small talk, and profess to be terrible at making small talk. This is to misunderstand the value proposition of small talk, which is to establish trust and rapport with strangers before you commit to sharing any high value information. To be fair the value of social customs are often not grokked even where they are followed and are effective. But if you need a reason for everything, figure it out.&lt;p&gt;Also, confidence. This is simply a function of how positively you expect others to receive your presence&amp;#x2F;engagement. People
who are quiet and taciturn in one setting will often be charismatic and open in another setting where they know the audience. Realistically appraise &lt;i&gt;why&lt;/i&gt; others might react positively to you, and work on being able to deliver that value. The confidence will flow naturally from there.</text></comment>