On Being an Introvert and Blog Conferences

Last Updated on May 18, 2017 by Jody Halsted

Blissdom 2012
Me with my daughter at BlissDom last year

It's not often that I talk about the “back side” of travel blogging…  but with the BlissDom Conference coming up next week and the fact that I am, again, a community leader, I wanted to share a little secret.

I'm an introvert.

Not to be confused with being socially awkward, shy, or antisocial, though I know I appear that way to many people.

I really liked this explanation by Susan Cain in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking:

“Introverts … may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions.”

That fits me to a T.  Well, except for the conflict part.  I rather like a good fight.

Blissdom_ladies

If I catch your eye I'm likely to say hello, but I am really (really) bad at small talk (possibly because I watch very little television and have no idea what is going on in pop culture).  Please don't think I'm blowing you off or not interested in meeting you- that truly isn't the case.    I can talk for hours on subjects that I'm passionate about and often have strong opinions.  My sense of humor is very dry and my speech tends to be blunt.  And, if I'm going to be honest, I'm not even a little bit politically correct- and I don't want to be.  So if you are very easily offended, I may not be the person you want to meet.  Once you get to know me, you'll find that I am rather witty, can dazzle you with my elementary command of the Irish language and am able to pull obscure facts out of thin air.

So if you see me at BlissDom- or any other conference- sitting quietly at a table or hanging away from the crowded room, please don't think that I am avoiding people or want to be left alone.  I just don't get a lot of energy from crowds.  But I do love great discussion, deeply enjoy learning and sharing what I have learned from 9 years of blogging and really like meeting new people.  

Maybe I should plan an introvert meetup…  Though if it got too large that would completely ruin it…

 

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6 Comments

  1. That definition was made for me as well.  I just spent my Sunday in my pj’s in bed recovering from an all day outing with my best friend – I always need to recover!

    1. @AndiFisher After conferences it seems to take me quite a few days to get back to my normal groove…  almost like a hangover…  but not in a painful way.  🙂

  2. Great post, thank you for sharing!
    Being an introvert does not mean that we are shy or afraid of talking to people. 
    We process information internally and prefer to think before reacting. We dislike long meetings and small talk, but we love to discuss topics that matter to us.

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