How to meet the needs of extroverted personalities in your communications

Everyone has different needs when it comes to communication. Some people need more detail than others to really understand and resonate with the information, whereas others want the bigger picture.

Some people are more visual learners than auditory learners, so they need more graphics and images to help the communication land.

And then there’s our extroverted and introverted personalities. While those with dominant introvert tendencies need time to process information and opportunities to contribute in smaller group or one-on-one settings, our extroverted audience members are the opposite.

People with dominant extrovert tendencies usually process information out loud, and get their energy from being around other people. So given there’s a high likelihood you have a few - if not many - extroverts in your audience, it makes sense to think about how to package your communication in a way that meets their needs.

Here are a few of our ideas:

Dedicated group brainstorming time

When extroverts speak up in a meeting, it’s often not a question - it’s just a thought being processed out loud! That’s how a person with extroverted tendencies will seek to understand communication.

Given that, allowing dedicated group brainstorming time is a great way for extroverts to mull over information and get it to make sense, before they offer their ideas and questions. The key here is ‘dedicated’ time - if there’s no parameters, the extroverts could talk for hours and the introverts won’t get a word in! So put some timing around the session.

Communicate in person

Where possible, share an idea or news in person (as well as in writing) via two-way communication channels so our extroverts have opportunity to check their understanding and processing out loud, and ask questions as they come to mind. 

If you don’t offer this option, they’ll be processing their thoughts out loud to others, or they’ll read the email and move on without really taking time to think about it. 

Communicate with energy!

Extroverts get their energy from people, and the energy in the room that you create will determine how much they engage and participate. So when communicating verbally, bring the energy. Even if it’s an online meeting, use your voice and facial expressions to keep it interesting. Of course, you need to balance this with quieter moments for our introverted colleagues, but keep in mind who is your audience, and your need to capture their attention.

Want to find out your comms personality type?

Take this easy quiz to find out how you process communication best, and how to navigate the different personalities in your comms.