tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109150351375891279.post6163003268353154185..comments2023-05-26T13:58:00.927-07:00Comments on Mathie x Pensive: ETC: About Introverts and ConferencesGregory Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06547180132612659893noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109150351375891279.post-42260921591884528462013-08-14T15:20:28.452-07:002013-08-14T15:20:28.452-07:00So I actually had a few comments here, though most...So I actually had a few comments here, though most were tweets. Been meaning to sum up.<br />-At least one person called me out for this being an accurate representation. (Not just me then!)<br />-Someone who admitted to being between (b) and (c) said "years of practice faking it" helped.<br />-Someone said "it was helpful for me to realize that just like people can choose not to read what I write, they can choose to disengage from conversation with me so I'm not interfering any more in real life than I am in written form".<br />-And of course there is Scott's comment above.<br /><br />The idea of 'faking it' or 'adopting a persona' is certainly an option. I think part of my personal issue with that is: I'm too comfortable with myself. I am who I am. If you haven't recognized that (yet), you'll need to make it worth my while for me to engage with you, given the additional effort of me making pretend. And in some circumstances, I recognize it IS worth it, for one or both of us... but dinner, yeah, still not passionate.<br /><br />The 'disengaging from conversation' idea has made me realize that I do see conference conversations as being with lots of people, versus reading as a more dual, reader/writer relationship. Like if I toss myself into a conversation, there could be one of the four others there going 'Oh no, not Greg', but they won't say anything out loud. Yet if someone invites me in, hey, it's not my fault, your friend asked me along. Which... is weird to write, and maybe I simply have to get over myself there.<br /><br />Online is a weird beast. We've moved from letters, to emails, through newsgroups, to instant messages... always trending towards instant feedback, instant gratification. I think introverts need more time to mull things over. Yet society these days seems to have a preference for immediate results, blind to long term consequences... maybe that's another reason we hear more from extroverts. Now, I'm NOT saying all extroverts only think in the short term, I just remember hearing that in a financial variant on the "marshmallow study" (ie- you can have this one now, or watch it for five minutes and then have two... but I believe it was $20 now or $30 tomorrow...), extroverts were more LIKELY to go for receiving things now. Maybe it's an impulsive thing.<br /><br />Finally, yeah, some of the conference ideas are probably applicable in the classroom. Honestly, I think part of my issue with groups is I don't want to force anything, yet students can't always pick the best one themselves. Plus there really isn't anything wrong with working alone, in my mind. So I end up spinning my wheels. Meh.<br /><br />One last thing that's occurred to me about signup sheets is it does sort of commit you... meaning you'd be less likely to just bow out on a whim. There may be something to be said for that. At any rate, thanks for all the response!Gregory Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06547180132612659893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2109150351375891279.post-63783790905731064482013-08-01T17:40:26.337-07:002013-08-01T17:40:26.337-07:00What I've found that helps immensely is the id...What I've found that helps immensely is the idea of a persona. It's not necessarily a fake version of me, just a role I can put on to get through social situations. Once I get comfortable with a group, the real me does come out, but the persona is still available. Helped when I worked as the phone firewall for Sympatico. The callers weren't talking to me, but the professional persona I developed. (Mind, role-playing as a hobby helped with working out the concept. I also still need downtime even when using a persona - it takes energy to not run screaming from a crowd.)<br /><br />Online interactions are easier, though it still takes me time to warm up. I don't need the persona as much; everything is in the words, not the body language, so I can be more me and less not-me. Email is easiest; it's asynchronous, giving me time to craft a proper response. Chats and IMs are more immediate, so I do need to keep up and interject from time to time.<br /><br />As for your suggestions... Scheduled evening events make sense. They don't have to be as formal the events during the day. A meet-and-greet the first night, dinner the next is simple enough (other than logistics). Doesn't even have to be long, too.<br /><br />The longer breaks are nice. Introverts need recovery time. I find that even after spending time with friends over an evening, I need to wind down and recharge alone. It's not that I didn't enjoy being with everyone; I just need the me-time to re-centre. Small breaks help.<br /><br />Group work can be torture for us introverts. It gets worse if it's a group of introverts. Someone has to step up to at least get the work going. It might be easier to have a number of leader-types (introverts can be leaders, though) to lead a group. (Hmmm... Obviously, it'll be difficult for a small conference, but the idea struck that a workshop can have a few group leaders to work with the participants, guiding as opposed to doing the work.)<br /><br />(Also wondering if some of your ideas for the conference could also be applied to teaching?)Scott Delahunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06735796666483741699noreply@blogger.com