|
|
 |
|
|
|
Creating A Great Sales Event:
Balancing the Needs of Introverts and Extroverts
by Nan Andrews Amish
When companies plan external events, the events are designed
to do multiple things. They may include sharing information
on new products or service offerings, policy changes, executive
changes, and business trends and reviews. In sales organizations,
there is the opportunity to connect with a geographically dispersed
sales unit and to provide opportunity to build some connections.
With executive meetings, there are sometimes strategic retreats,
where brainstorming elements of strategic plans are key activities.
Company events can offer time for recreation when budgets allow
them to be held in resorts. When the destination is desirable,
the chance that families will also be in tow increases. And
with or without family, attendees want time to just enjoy the
resort and destination.
While meeting planners and the executives in charge work to
create the perfect sessions, sometimes the most important things
that occur at corporate and industry events are the relationships
which are formed. These provide huge value down the line for
both the attendee and the company they work for. The relationships
may include whole families. And they are not formed during the
scheduled sessions. They are formed in the free time, during
meals and receptions, during structured team discussions and
team building activities.
E2 – Extroverted Events!
Company events are usually extroverted affairs. They are auditory,
visual and experiential. They are vocal, and tend to be loud.
There are lots of people everywhere. The food never stops. They
tend to have an element of chaos. They tend not to be about
reflection.
Statistically, attendees are not all extroverted. The percentage
will vary by occupation, but overall, the split is about 50/50.
Even in occupations where you expect more extroverts, like sales
or marketing, it turns out that some of the most successful
sales professionals are actually introverted people who love
forming deep one-on-one relationships. They listen well. Clients
feel heard and they are loyal. And some occupations attract
more introverts: think accountants or engineers for example.
So if many of your attendees are introverts, what does that
mean in terms of designing events and team building activities
in particular which can nourish and support relationship building
for both extroverts and introverts? What happens when events
do not support introverts? What is the impact on not just the
introverts, but on the extroverts as well?
Type Characteristics
We’ve been throwing terms around like everyone knows what we
mean by an introvert or an extrovert. These words are used casually
and in organizational psychology slightly differently.
In organizational psychology, the definitions have come from
the Myers Briggs definitions of introvert and extrovert. A Myers
Briggs extrovert gets their energy external to themselves, while
an introvert tends to get their energy internally. So an extrovert
can get energized by an amazing speaker, while an introvert
may be inspired by the speaker, but needs to go home and take
a hot bath to internalize the message and to get energized.
An extrovert can read a book and understand it deeply, but it
will tend not to energize them. An introvert on the other hand
can read a book and it will energize them.
Extroverts tend to be energized by social get togethers. Introverts
tend to be exhausted by social get togethers. Introverts tend
to be energized by reflection, writing in a journal, listening
to music, or doing yoga. Extroverts tend to be exhausted by
reflection or writing in a journal. And if they listen to music,
they prefer it be in a club, with other people, perhaps to dance
with.
Introverts tend to keep their best thoughts to themselves. Extroverts
tend to share their best thoughts. Introverts think first, and
often think deeply. Then they speak. Extroverts tend to think
quickly and to think out loud. Introverts think to speak. Extroverts
speak to think.
Note that behaviorally, both extroverts and introverts can be
intelligent, successful, social. Either one can be reflective.
Both form relationships. Extroverts tend to connect quickly,
while introverts tend to connect more deeply. Extroverts tend
to like the chaos of a large party. Introverts tend to prefer
small intimate gatherings. Extroverts are OK speaking to a large
crowd. Introverts are more comfortable in smaller groups. Introverts
will have tended to thought deeply before voicing their opinions
or views. Extroverts may just share their thoughts of the moment
on the way to something else.
Creating Introvert-Friendly Events and Team Activities
The problem is that events and especially team building activities
are supposed to support and be uplifting. Yet the average event
is exhausting for introverts. When they tune out, the event
loses their wisdom and input. Everyone loses.
So how can you create an event that works for BOTH introverts
and extroverts?Here are some ideas.
-
Build In Time To React. When you offer
something that people are supposed to respond to, whether
it be the choice of a team or an activity or a specific business
brainstorming, avoid asking the question and expecting people
to respond on the fly. This works for extroverts
but not for introverts. Instead, either ask the question ahead
of time (email before the event) or give them a few minutes
to reflect and formulate their response before sharing
it with the group. Providing even as little as 2 minutes
for introverts to get their thoughts in good enough condition
to be willing to share them will make a huge difference in
whose ideas are heard. If you just allow participants to respond
on the fly, 90% of the responses will be from extroverts and
the introvert perspective will be not represented.
-
Create Reflection Time. When there
is an element of a team building activity that requires thought,
and another aspect which requires action, separate them. The
introverts will think through the options more thoroughly
than the extroverts, while the extroverts will tend to respond
faster with the action. If the thinking element has to be
written down, that forces the introverts to complete the thought
sufficiently to share it, quickly.
-
Mix Small and Large Group Elements.
Have some activities that are done small group and some which
are done large group. The small groups nourish the introverts
while the large group activities stoke the extroverts.
-
Involve Executive Client with Team Building.
If one of the goals of your client is to form NEW relationships,
to mix up the natural groupings, and to support new networking,
then have an executive from the client be part of the team
building activity and their role is to support the team building
facilitator in sharing the directions for the activity. They
then share that the teams must be new, etc. This supports
the introverts who might like to form some new relationships
not being bowled over by vocal extroverts who may be interested
in hanging with existing buds. And it supports the client
by making sure that new relationships are formed due to the
structure of the team building activity, while existing relationships
can be strengthened over meals and receptions and informal
tourist activities. This also supports introverts who may
be new to the group and may not have existing relationships
to fall back on.
-
Create Meaning and Value with Debrief.
If team-building activities have strong design, and strong
facilitation, then not only do participants build new relationships
with people in the organization, they have fun and learn something
relevant to the increase organizational effectiveness. Team
Building activities offer a huge range of fun and mix it up
potential. If in addition, the pre-activity and the debrief
draw attention to how the activity is ALWAYS a mirror
of the way the organization conducts itself already, the learning
for the organization can be profound. The participants will
find the similarities as well as the differences, and the
key to making this happen smoothly is to have an executive
from the client be part of the set up and closing. Because
of the strong design, and the fun, it is easier to comment
on what happened. Then the team building offers a metaphor
for communication back at the office as well. Rather than
having an awkward moment and not knowing how to discuss a
dysfunctional communication, they can say “remember when we
went on the scavenger hunt and ….” Well, we did it again.
And the communication is flowing.
-
Build in Cave Time. Introverts will
expend energy to attend sessions and to engage in team activities.
Build time in the schedule for introverts to just retreat
to their rooms. John Gray suggests men need cave time. It
is not men that need cave time, it is introverts who need
cave time. Build it in, and the commitment and energy you
will get from your introverts will increase 4-fold. Then listen
up, because the depth of their thinking will blow you away.
-
Improve Whole Event Effectiveness with
Facilitator. If the Ritz offers facilitation services
to support an entire meeting, the facilitator can then also
slip introvert/extrovert balancing elements into the sessions
and coach the presenters on tricks to engage participants,
not just lecture at them. A professional facilitator can also
help the meeting planners, who may or may not have any formal
meeting planning experience, to design the sessions so the
energy flows well too. Most meeting planners know to have
a humorist or comedian as the entertainment after a happy
hour, but many are not so skilled in putting their stronger
speakers towards the end of the program, or in coaching their
corporate executives so they do not put people to sleep.
-
Coach Event Speakers. If the Ritz
offered a speech coaching as part of facilitation services,
the coach can help even the most introverted executive deliver
an authentic presentation that engages their audience. (You
know a local facilitator that offers this service.)
-
Measure the Results. Measuring any
changes you do, will enable you to talk to their benefit as
you discuss with new clients what works best.
The Bottom Line
Sales events are fun, and yes, sales events are about letting
off steam. But most of all they are supposed to increase sales
effectiveness. If they do not do that they have failed.
By paying attention to the introverts and extroverts in your
mix, you engage all of the attendees and the planning and strong
sessions and great team building activities achieve their purpose
which is then reflected in your bottom line sales figures. When
you plan an entirely extroverted activity, your extroverts will
have fun, but your introverts will tune out, become exhausted
and not get what you hoped they would get from the meeting.
Want to get good value from your event? Plan a meeting both
an extrovert AND an introvert would love.
(1782 words) Copyright © 2009 Nan Andrews Amish. All rights
reserved.
Nan Andrews Amish and Big Picture Perspective
offer facilitation, member surveys, management assessments,
tools, workshops and keynote addresses to help associations,
leaders and teams increase their effectiveness by seeing the
big picture perspective. Nan knows associations. She is past
president of a 1000 member New England regional marketing association
and current board member and 2002 Member of the Year of the
National Speakers Association/Northern California.
Permission to reprint this article is granted,
provided original author is given credit, and a link to www.BigPicturePerspective.com
is included.
|
|
|
|