The Introvert Question 📖

Jul 7

What’s Behind The Question

Recently I was setting up for a workshop in a beautiful downtown Columbus office with a view, when a non-client asked me a question Alex and I hear all the time:

"What do you do with the introverts?"

What I've realized over the past few years is that beneath this common question lies a widely held false assumption: that improv isn't a good fit for introverts.

We hear this all the time. Concerned clients ask it before workshops. Audience members say it after our shows: "I could never do that. I'm an introvert." Even our workshop evaluations occasionally include comments like, "I loved the session, but I'm not sure how my introverted teammates felt."

The assumption is understandable. After all, improv looks spontaneous, creative, and loud. Surely only extroverts enjoy that... right?

Wrong.

The idea that introverts aren't suited for the silly, unpredictable art form of improv is simply wrong. How am I so confident?

The Unexpected Truth

Well, I'm an introvert. So are about half the performers in TBD: The Improvised Musical, as I wrote about in a previous blog, Introverts and Improv: Oil and Water, or Peanut Butter and Jelly? Most people don't imagine that the folks making up a 90-minute Broadway-style musical on the spot could be quiet and reserved in everyday life, but it's true.

The same goes for the adult and senior improv classes I teach. Many of our students are thoughtful, reserved people who simply enjoy challenging themselves and sharing a laugh with others.

Choosing Training That’s Accessible to All

"But we're talking about the workplace here, Katie. We need to make sure we're choosing training sessions that are accessible to everyone."

Exactly. We agree! And we've found that improv as a method of learning works just as well for introverts as it does for extroverts. In fact, one of the most common pieces of feedback we receive sounds something like this:

"Boy, I didn't want to do this workshop, and I'm so glad I did."

Nerves Highlight An Opportunity for Growth

Here's why. Almost everyone walks into an improv workshop a little nervous. Introverts. Extroverts. Doesn't matter. And those nerves are actually a wonderful thing. Not a problem. An opportunity.

To Alex and me, nerves signal an opportunity to stretch, to step outside our comfort zones in a way that promotes growth. During our workshops, participants discover they're more capable than they thought.

By doing something new and a little intimidating in a fun and safe space, people build trust in themselves and their ability to navigate uncertainty. By having that experience alongside their teammates, they build trust in one another, too.

Improv is play. And play is human.

Assuming improv isn't for introverts is a bit like assuming play isn't for introverts. But improv is play. And play is human.

So to all the thoughtful managers wondering whether your quieter teammates will benefit from an improv development workshop, you don't need to worry.

Let them surprise you. More importantly, give them the chance to surprise themselves.

That’s improv at work.

P.S. Don't just take our word for it. Check out what some of our clients had to say below.