This past weekend I attended Quasi-Con a conference hosted by the University of Michigan's ALA student chapter, and I found myself in a discussion on this very topic. I had the opportunity to spend the lunch break chatting with Colleen Theisen, an SI grad who now works at the University of Iowa in special collections. I wanted to talk to her because she and I seem to have very similar career goals, and one thing she pointed out is this issue of introvert vs. extrovert particularly in special collections. She said that being an extrovert helped her to get her job, but also sometimes makes her director nervous because typically people who work in special collections are not very outgoing. She said that she thinks this trend may be changing, but that it is a slow process. We discussed how people coming into the field like ourselves really need to make an effort to reach out to patrons and potential patrons, to show them that they are welcome, and that the librarians won't bite.
It is interesting because I've never really thought of myself as an extrovert, I'm certainly not the peppy rainbows and puppies Type-A kind of person that one might find in, oh say the SI career services office (they are wonderful people, don't get me wrong, there is just no way I could be that positive all the time). I guess I always thought of "extroverts" as people who like to go to parties and make friends with total strangers in coffee shops, and that has never been me. But what I've come to realize is that in the world of academic libraries, and especially special collections libraries I am about as extroverted as it gets.
Now to be fair, no one would ever accuse me of being shy or quiet. So maybe it is less about being extroverted or introverted and more about self confidence and a feeling comfortable talking to and in front of other people. I may not have any interest in striking up a conversation with a stranger at a bar or coffee shop, but if someone walks into my place of work I'm more than happy to approach them to find out what they're looking for and whether or not I can help. I'm self confident and comfortable talking to other people and having done years of theatre I'm also very confident and comfortable in front of large groups of people.
I know that my personality and my background give me a distinct advantage in this area, but it got me thinking about whether library schools are doing enough to prepare students to go out into the world and be able to confidently express themselves. This class is a big step in the right direction as far as presentational skills are concerned, but I sometimes wonder if there shouldn't be a class or a half credit class devoted to public speaking. During the "unconference" morning session at Quasi-Con I was part of a discussion about jobs and interviewing and a couple of people who have been on hiring committees for libraries really emphasized the point that if a job candidate looked great on paper, but was a mess when giving a presentation 9 times of 10 they won't get the job.
We get plenty of experience giving presentations at SI, but rarely do we get constructive feedback on our preservation style let alone a chance to work on our style and try again. What happens is the students who are good at presenting do well, and the ones who are less skilled public speakers just struggle through, but aren't given the chance to grow or improve. Maybe instead of saying that librarians need to be better self promoters, we need to start training them while they are still in school to be better communicators, public speakers, and presenters.
I feel the same way about myself-- I'm no wallflower, but definitely not the life of every party, either. I couldn't attend Quasi-Con, but I understand that sinking feeling of watching someone struggle through a short presentation, but not being able to help them. One of the things I'm really liking about this class is how the assignments are structured. With shorter assignments-- most of them acting as mini-presentations-- we'll actually get that structured feedback between each one. Maybe not a chance to re-do each assignment, but the opportunity to learn from one before jumping into the next. I think it's a start, at least, for working toward public speaking and presenting training.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting seeing through the lens of an extrovert about this topic. I am a textbook introvert, and have often worried that I was at a disadvantage in the "real world" because of it. Your discussion with Collen Theisen brought up a very interesting point.
ReplyDeleteHistorically, libraryland has mostly been made up of introverts, which is part of the reason I was drawn to the profession. I sometimes find myself uncomfortable around really exuberant extroverts, but never thought that would be a problem if you are extroverted and working under and introvert. That must be changing, though, due to schools like SI. Thinking about that shift, I can't say I'm that upset about it. I think self-promotion is something that is a problem in librarianship, but I agree with you that having good presentation skills can help that self-promotion. I do also think that having more extroverts in libraryland will help libraries become more vocal about their strengths. Additionally, a better mix of extroverts and introverts will probably make better presenters as well. I don't think introverts are inherently less good at communicating, but getting groups together to verbalize a problem is not usually their first method of solving something. Extroverts initiating that dialogue will get better, more diverse solutions to all kinds of issues.
I also really appreciate all the mini-presentations that are assigned for this class. I don't think it has much to do with my introvert-status, but I'm also fairly shy, and I've typically avoided public presentations. The structure of the assignments both eases students into giving public speeches and creates a safe environment to start getting feedback about them.
I think being an introvert is just fine so long as you're able and willing to step up if that's what's required of you. Being an introvert doesn't mean you can't be good at doing presentations and hopefully classes like this one will help people who are less comfortable in the position of presenter. Your comment also made me think of one other thing that I didn't note in my original post but that I have often thought about. That is the way in which introverted and extroverted personalities can actually work to compliment each other nicely in the workplace and personal interaction. Being more extroverted may provide an advantage in some areas, but I know from experience that taking the time to make sure I'm hearing what my more introverted friends think about something is extremely valuable and often opens my eyes to perspectives I had not previously considered.
DeleteI was just talking with my coworkers the other day about the presentations that are part of applying for librarian positions. As most of my coworkers are librarians, and I'm working toward becoming one (and had no idea how the presentation stuff works), I was hungry for their advice and anecdotes about preparing presentations. Apparently, it's up to the people hiring whether they'll require a talk or not, and they usually will give you a topic. That part was a relief because from the few candidate talks I've attended, I thought it was just something they came up with on their own!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely more of an introvert, so I think having a credited class to help our public speaking skills would be great--I would be more likely to do that and get credit for it than joining a group like Toastmasters. And having it tailored to specific skills librarians need would be great too.
I like your idea of a public speaking class. I definitely am an introvert. Fielding calls at work did not make me an extrovert, but it has helped me to be less shy, which is not the same thing. Some people will probably never be amazing presenters, but that doesn't mean they can't learn to get the job done, and once they've developed those skills, they may be less nervous about it.
ReplyDeleteI think Amy makes a great point here -- we often confuse "shy" with "introvert." (I used to do the same thing!)
ReplyDeleteOne good piece of advice I got is that introverts need to refuel by being alone. Extroverts are fueled by being with others. So while I love being around people, I can only do it for x number of hours a day. Then I need some by-myself time to get reoriented. So conferences are both exhilaratingly fun (all those people! all those people I love to talk with! all those people I love to talk wtih all the time!), I often need a day or two off afterwards.