In her syndicated column, Dr. Brothers recently told a reader “I don’t think anything’s “wrong” with you. You’re simply not as extroverted as those you’re watching on the TV screen. There are different personality types; neither is better than the other.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

I came across another good article about networking, and the differences between the way introverts and extraverts approach it.

It makes an excellent point:

The intelligent networker first understands where they are on the scale of extrovert and introvert and uses the strengths (and works on the weaknesses) to their advantage.

In other words, neither introverts nor extraverts have the advantage when it comes to networking - it’s all about recognizing and working with your natural preferences. Just because you’re uncomfortable in large groups doesn’t mean you can’t interact effectively one-on-one.

The other subject it touches on is energy levels - it made me realize why I strongly prefer breakfast meetings to those taking place at night.

To read more about business coach Terry Bass’ slant on the subject, read Networking - Are You an Extrovert or an Introvert and the 2 Reasons Why it Matters.

Mark Dykeman has just posted an article on The Mighty Introvert blog, called Five easy ways for an introvert to communicate. In it he talks about how we are often underestimated because face-to-face communication is not our strong point, and how the Internet has made such a difference for us.

I have often considered how the Internet has enabled me to run my virtual assistant business, because the technology allows information to be transmitted in ways that weren’t possible as recently as 15 years ago, and this in turn allows me to serve clients in faraway locations. But I hadn’t really contemplated that the Internet has also made me a more successful entrepreneur, because face-to-face (or even telephone) communication rarely takes place until there has been an exchange of emails or conversation on a discussion forum, or the potential client has at least had a chance to visit my website. And yet it seems so obvious, when I think about it!

By the way, I learned about The Mighty Introvert on a Facebook group called Don’t let me fool you. I’m an introvert. The name of the group really appeals to me, because after nearly six years in business, I’ve developed a comfort level in most networking situations, and people are often surprised to learn that I am in fact an introvert. I’ve questioned it myself from time to time, but no matter what test I do, from the MBTI to a simple magazine quiz, it’s always clear that I am an introvert, no doubt about it.