Blending introversion with asynchronous working

Expanding a little bit on a Tweet I made recently that appeared to be popular on Twitter and LinkedIn:

"A change I hope remains is the focus on asynchronous/distance learning & working opportunities. Introverts & extroverts have different needs & preferences in which to thrive in. Enabling us to build on our strengths, discover new/improved approaches & realise further potential."

Although I blog openly here about my professional and personal life, I'm naturally an introvert.  I may appear quiet in-person but that's usually a matter of who I am with and how comfortable I am around them.  I often struggle to find where I can fit in, especially in groups and meetings.  I can silently engage, synchronously and asynchronously, but be present when I need to be.  I may even be one of those 'annoying' people that sit back through a conversation then input towards the end with a critical comment - just my in-built slow learner style.  I just like to try and listen and take in what people are saying and digesting it in my own unique way, especially if it's a complex topic.  I am a better writer than I am a public speaker!  I've stated this a few times throughout this blog.  A short while ago I did actually say this; "I can often be viewed as quiet and not be loud (maybe I should more) like some. I sometimes have 'tunnel vision' - just focused on stuff really."  I can be quiet and present but be productive and hard working!  I'm very good at strategising when alone with my thoughts...  Intertwined with introversion, I learn so much by being a chameleon and observing quietly, a natural behaviour of mine that I guess comes hand in hand with my own intuition.  Sitting back rather than being eager to be heard or take control of a situation.  By allowing myself to do this, in my current full-time role I learned so much more about the way the department was being run, which was telling of their wider plans without me being told them explicitly.  But it is also good for learning and predicting behaviours of individuals.  Again introversion is an advantage here.

Remote working has done wonders for helping quieter and reflective people become more visible and amplify their voice, as well as feeling included.  I found this article on 'An Introvert's Survival Guide to the Virtual Office'.  It has some great points in here that folks need to be aware of - I feel some aspects are applicable to in-person too, such as; "Don’t confuse introversion with being antisocial”.

EDIT:  October 2024, the quote below resonates with how I describe my remote working preferences.  Being at home allows me to focus and concentrate on the thinking and planning parts of my role, which I am less able to do in the office due to distractions and noise.  But being in the office allows me to have more meaningful professional and personal social interactions with colleagues, and that help build rapport.

Anyway, if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me anything innately.  It is how it has helped me to improve my online delivery of webinars.  Thought I still need to feel people's energies and body language as it affects my performance somewhat.  A little story...  A colleague and I collaborated on producing a pre-recorded webinar for a symposium at our university.  In the spirit of new ways of working we approached this in a different way we had both done previously.  Instead of doing the obvious of confirming content and structure and arranging a date and time to record our presentation live.  We did the whole thing asynchronously.  We did the expected; had an initial meeting to discuss requirements, set up a PowerPoint in Microsoft Teams, inputted information on our agreed areas/slides, wrote our short transcripts for each slide in the notes section, then recorded our audio onto each slide - no picture-in-picture.  Exported as a video and enabled our individual audio files to play automatically after each other. 

Whilst it was a small collaborative effort, the personal and professional gains were much larger.  Actually the process itself was probably more valuable than the outcome of the project.  What I learned through this process, which wasn't new or unheard of, it but a new approach for us that was otherwise unforeseen due to circumstances.  Was the detailed planning on what I was showing and going to say, which improved my pace and tone.  It allowed me to speak more slowly, clearly and succinct.   Where if live I would be more freeform/messy in my speech, unconsciously looking at peoples cameras (if on) and comments in the chat pane and seeing my own face.  All of which do have an impact on my delivery and generally distract me.  Importantly I was able to see where I trip up over myself if I was doing it synchronously - which is often an issue for me!  This asynchronous way of working has built on my strengths and improved the way I now approach similar activities.

As collaborators we also gave and received developmental feedback on where we needed to improve our writing and audio outputs.  No collaboration can be fully exempt of conflicts and there was here; i.e. frustration in deleting an unseen screen recording and unnecessary use of ?! and how that was misconstrued.  Whilst we wholeheartedly addressed our issues positively through light-hearted conversation.  Some lessons I learned here; we both have certain needs fulfilling, i.e. I need to provide more notes explaining my decisions on retaining and omitting information and conscious use of language.  It also gave me confidence in that whilst I found it uncomfortable to make such comment on aspects I disagreed with, it resulted in a positive conversation - not heated or confrontational.  So speaking your mind (or heart) honestly and tactfully can make things better.  With asynchronous communication I do have to be more conscious and put more emphasis on maintaining written communication, so that everyone can keep updated and informed.  All minor things in the bigger picture of things, however it led to a positive outcome for both of us.  We both realised what we actually needed from each other and are better colleagues for it.  Conflict shouldn't always be feared as it can result in this.

Me personally, I do find that I can get more quality contributions in the collaborative work and in chat pane contributions.  Perhaps it's because we enable reflective practice before being put on spot - introverts are more likely to respond in this environment/set up.  Me personally I find this hugely beneficial, its how my best thinking can come to fruition.  Like now typing this, I find it really useful for my reflection of practice and experience etc.  As I've mentioned before; "...I speak to think, more than I think to speak...".  In this case I am writing/typing to think, rather than think to write/type.

A colleague shared this article 'Asynchronous communication for meaningful decisions, fair evaluations and fast learning' that reinforces some of what I have described above.  It has some good points to develop principles in order to align communications and collaborations:

1. "Async communication is the foundation for long-lasting quality work
2. Async communication removes biases and leads to fairer, more empathetic evaluations
3. Async communication gives us more control and clarity in decision making
4. Async communication is like breadcrumbs helping us navigate the maze of decisions
5. Async communication increases discipline, performance and work quality"

Following on from the above.  A good thing about this small collaborative effort and the pandemic in general, is that I am re-evaluating the way I learn and deliver online.  At the beginning of the pandemic I quickly realised that webinars weren't engaging me, I need to be there in-person for attention reasons. So I'm using this as a mini-mission to develop ideas that aren't just look and listen, focussing on both teaching and staff development.  Some initial ideas that are not just briefing in style, in online synchronous and asynchronous formats:

• Snippet 1-3 minute video > demonstration > Q&A/explore application/scenarios
• Self-directed or facilitator-led H5P activity > facilitate Q&A
• Pre-recorded short presentation > invitation to complete task > audience prepared to share outcomes

I may well return to these topics at a later date to expand on my thoughts and application of them.

EDIT: In December 2023, I saw a reply by a fellow Association for Learning Technology community member on LinkedIn, to the following question which I strongly resonate with.  It reflects a lot of my personality through their situation which is eloquently described.  Glad to hear this topic being discussed openly.

Professor Damien Page - "Loudness is often celebrated in organisations. Volume is an expectation, a requirement, an appendage to power, a proxy for status, for expertise. For influence.

How often do we celebrate quietness though? How regularly is the quiet work given prominence? When do we appreciate the introverts who routinely drive our organisations forward unrecognised? When do we create quiet spaces where quiet voices can be heard? When we do we prioritise communications mediums that do not rely on extroversion as the default? How often do we seek out the quiet colleagues and listen in the way they want to be heard?

Quietness is underrated. Quietness needs to become an organisational virtue."

Puiyin Wong - "In my experience, sometimes those who speak loads or loud in meetings etc don’t tend to have a lot of substance (not always but sometimes), it’s like as if they keep speaking then they can hide behind hot air and the lack of skills. I don’t talk very much in meetings because I listen, think, reflect and take action. I only speak when there is something worth saying, not speaking for speaking sake. Or I email people afterward with my points. Not everything has to be a public show and tell. Most of my bosses in the past don’t have a problem with this because they can see when I do speak in workshops and conferences, my words mean something and people listen to me, so being quiet in meetings were never a problem. One reason I am leaving my current job end of this year is because this approach of mine is being used against me constantly. Not speaking in meetings IS NOT the same as not contributing in meaningful ways. My work speaks for itself! Also, cultures pay a part in how much someone might like to speak in front of people, Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, particularly individualism vs collectivism explain this well."