Meetings are the Ultimate Business Tools

Meetings are a fantastic way of bringing people together to share ideas, solve problems and come up with smarter ways of working. Your team members understand the problems, weaknesses and opportunities of the business from their own unique vantage point. Being able to tap into that insight during a meeting and use it for the benefit of the business is the mark of a brilliant manager.

Try having a short one-to-one with one of your quieter staff members about what was discussed in a meeting. It may shock you how much she has to say now after staying quiet during the meeting. Surely this information would be more valuable when shared in an open forum for everyone to hear and discuss? What is going on? Are meetings structured to cater to one personality type over another?

The Extrovert, Introvert and Ambivert in Business

Over the course of your management career, you will meet all three of these personality types. Recognising them and learning to manage them effectively will help you make the most of your own position, as well as theirs.

As a manager, you are limited or boosted by the people working for you and the people working above you. Learning how to use personality types to your advantage is a powerful weapon in your management arsenal.

Common Misconceptions

There are some key misconceptions that people hold about these personality types, namely that the extrovert is loud, sociable and abrasive and that the introvert is a shy, quiet loner. The reality is that this is how these types present, but that isn’t what is really going on. Decades of research into intro- and extroversion have shown that the term relates to how different people feel energised or rewarded. Some people find the company of others invigorating, while others find it draining. The basis for it is genetic, so it isn’t something that can be unlearned.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes extroversion as “the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self”. An extrovert craves and thrives on interaction with people. Socialising energises and stimulates the extrovert, who excels at working in groups over working alone. This type of personality tends not to need ‘me time’ or personal space to recover from contact with others in the same way that introverts do. Introverts are usually happy in their own company and can quickly become overstimulated by external input. Whilst extroverts are energised by other people, introverts need alone time to recover from being with other people. Introverts may enjoy spending time with other people in small doses or in close circles rather than large groups. Introverts can be shy, but they aren’t shy because they are introverted.

As the name suggests, the ambivert sits somewhere in the middle, fluidly moving from one side to the other depending upon the environment. They are often misdiagnosed as one type or the other, depending on the situation. In a workplace setting, they will often mask as extroverts to fit in better. Understanding the differences between these personalities is the key to getting the most out of your team during meetings. All of these types have significant strengths and weaknesses in a business setting, and by getting to know these types and how they operate best, you can use those strengths to your advantage and diminish the negatives. It isn’t just a case of learning how to manage each of the personality types in isolation either. You need to work out how to manage these types as a group, despite their differences, to gain maximum value from your business meetings.

Let’s look in detail at how each of these personality types operates in a business meeting.

The Extrovert

You know the one who can’t stop talking, who has all the ideas and whose hand shoots up when the boss asks for volunteers to present in front of a hundred strangers? That’s your classic extrovert.

Extroverts steal the show during meetings. They enter the room full of life, head for the largest group and dive right into the conversation – occasionally taking it over. Extroverts thrive in meetings because they have a captive audience, a large group of people around them and plenty of opportunity to offload their ideas. Extroverts are rarely afraid to put their thoughts on the table for all to see, even when the room is packed with people they don’t know. They function well in online meetings too, although can often miss social cues and talk over others if left unmanaged.

Extroverts may be confident in sharing their ideas, but they aren’t necessarily the best ideas. As a manager, you run the risk of enabling ‘groupthink’ and giving wings to bad ideas unless you mitigate the influence of the extrovert.

Extroverts can also be a fantastic asset in a sales meeting. They often have an amazing ability to build rapport with strangers, and because they often think on their feet, if you are in need of immediate input, the extrovert is the one to go to.

The Introvert

You know the one who offers to take the minutes, sits in the back corner and rarely speaks unless spoken to directly? That’s your classic introvert. Introverts can be source of frustration in a meeting, especially when you know they are brimming with creative ideas. They rarely want to speak in public and some find small talk uncomfortable.

Introverts are sometimes described as standoffish or shy. That’s because they just don’t get the same fulfilment from engaging with others as their extroverted colleagues. Introverts won’t push into a conversation, share ideas freely in front of people they don’t know or dominate the conversation. In fact, just encouraging them to take part can be difficult.

Introverts are thoughtful speakers. They need time to gather their thoughts and think them through before sharing them with anyone else. This can interrupt the flow of the meeting, when discussion is in full swing, especially as extroverts develop their ideas while talking them out. The advantage, however, is that introverts are often very creative and intellectual. The time spent thinking about what they are going to say is essential to them because they are often perfectionists who want to have the best idea, not just any idea. Introverts work well in small meetings and online meetings. Big, brash sales meetings packed with outgoing types is the introvert’s idea of a nightmare and he will clam up.

The Ambivert

“There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum,” 1 said Carl Jung in 1957, referring to the fact that introversion and extroversion were extremes of the same scale. The ambivert is situated somewhere in the middle – the personality that shares both introverted and extroverted tendencies in equal, or almost equal, measure. Ambiverts may feel comfortable sharing ideas in meetings attended by people they know, but clam up when strangers are in the room.

Ambiverts bring balance to meetings and, unlike the other two extremes, can usually adapt to the situation at hand. They can be extroverted in a loud, talkative environment and more thoughtful and considerate in a small, quiet focus group. Whilst it is unlikely that ambiverts sit right in the middle of the spectrum, they don’t tend to experience debilitating consequences if faced with either extreme environment.

This flexibility makes ambiverts great in meetings, online or off. They may not be comfortable with speaking over video conferencing software or giving a presentation to people they don’t know, but the fact they can do it makes them adaptive, flexible and valuable to the business. Similarly, they may not like small, intimate business meetings where everyone speaks on cue, but they don’t feel the need to talk over everyone else in that situation, either.

Top Four Considerations for Managing the Three Personalities

You now know that these personalities exist and are permanent. The big question is how do you get all types to engage with each other in a meeting environment?

Don’t try to force an introvert to become an extrovert & vice-versa.

The vast majority of functioning adults can learn to mask their personality type when it matters. The very introverted professional, for example, must appear extroverted to some extent to be successful during an interview for a job. Fundamentally, however, that personality type never changes and cannot change. Extroverts will always be energised by social interaction, while introverts will always be drained by it. Luckily for ambiverts, they can act as both introverts and extroverts, so they don’t feel the same discomfort when faced with a social situation of either extreme. Managing extroverts, introverts and ambiverts is more about playing to their strengths than obliterating their weaknesses. Ambiverts sometimes feel that they have to present as extroverts in a workplace setting, so giving them the opportunity to show their introverted side will help them to relax and tap into creativity that is otherwise suppressed whilst ‘socialising’. Introverts should not be cajoled into giving a live presentation if they do not feel comfortable giving one. You could, however, suggest they give an ‘online presentation’, so they are giving the presentation but from the relative safety of their own office with their notes at hand. Small adaptations like this can help introverts feel that their contribution is valued, and being ‘away’ from the group physically may even help introverts articulate even better ideas as it feels more like a one-to-one conversation than group participation.

Consider different meeting styles to suit all personalities.

Typical meetings are an extrovert’s dream. Lots of people around a table with the sole aim of talking, teamwork and collaboration. The problem is that the extrovert’s dream is the introvert’s nightmare. If it hasn’t occurred to you yet, it may be worthwhile thinking about changing the way you hold meetings altogether. There is no rule to say that everyone has to be in the room or that everyone has to think on the spot. If some of your most creative thinkers would prefer to dial in via an online meeting platform and do a bit of brainstorming before they do, is there any harm in that at all, especially if it means you get more from the meeting than you otherwise would?

You should also consider smaller, more focused meetings, webinars or one-to one sessions. That might not be practical on a regular basis but for important idea-generating meetings, it is worth going the extra mile to up the quality. Think about adapting meeting preparation, too. If everyone has work Twitter accounts, you could post hashtags with the meeting agenda. Everyone can throw in their thoughts using the hashtag. This gives introverts plenty of opportunity to ponder in advance. Ambiverts are allowed to play to all of their strengths and extroverts get the opportunity to thrash out those ideas in real time.

Different horses for different courses.

Extroverts, introverts and ambiverts communicate and interact with others differently. This also crosses over into the work they enjoy doing and excel at. If you want to take this idea further than the meeting room, perhaps consider assigning work based on those strengths and weaknesses. Introverts don’t excel at public-facing tasks because they don’t enjoy it – an extrovert can bring more value to the business in that respect. If you have a trade show stall that requires staffing or a customer presentation to give, your extrovert is the perfect choice. If you need someone to manage a small research project or create a management report, your introvert is a great choice.

Ambiverts would be keen to take on new challenges, but would feel more confident doing so with a trusted colleague. And while ambiverts may seem content to work alone on a project like an introvert, ensure they get plenty of opportunity to bounce their thoughts off colleagues in person or via video networking. Isolation can reduce the productivity of ambiverts because they need social balance to thrive.

Video networking is also a fantastic tool for giving your in-house extroverts access to human interaction outside of the business, so consider integrating video conferencing as part of your overall business communication systems like email and telephone.

One person’s strength is another’s weakness.

Always remember that your introverts are just as valuable as your ambiverts and extroverts and that one type is not better than the other. It might be easier to gel with the outgoing types, but those quiet thinkers who don’t like gassing at the coffee machine could be a goldmine of insight that a great manager knows how to tap.

‘Brain writing’ is a great way to balance the strengths of all personality types at the same time. For example, in a collaboration meeting to develop a new product, the big talker blurts out an idea that is okay, but not brilliant. The ambiverts and introverts are consumed by thinking about this mediocre idea instead of thinking creatively to come up with a better idea. The process is back to front. Brain writing operates on the basis that the ideas are formulated before the discussion. The discussion takes place afterwards, allowing the best idea to take natural shape.

This process ensures that all personality types are working together, collaborating and using their strengths together for the best possible outcome. It also enables extroverts to appreciate the collaboration style of introverts, introverts to see the value of active discussion and external input when developing ideas and ambiverts to see that both ways of working are equally valid. Ambiverts may also see that it is okay to sit back, listen and think without feeling under pressure to communicate.

Conclusion

As a manager, your job is to get the best out of your people for the overall benefit of your company. Enabling your staff to work together by adapting to their needs not only benefits them and makes them feel more valued, it also benefits you as the fruits of your management skills eventually become the fruits of your company.

Isolation is not the key. When extroverts, introverts and ambiverts are able to work together as suggested in this guide, the results are phenomenal. You’ll notice morale soaring as disengaged employees begin to play an active role in the future of the business.