It seems like the game design field
should be a space
that's confortable for introverts
one that aknowledge that there different type of peoples
and not all of us are confortable at meeting at our parties
as other might be
and yet like so many industries
the game industry is
kinda designed for extroverts.
So today
we're going to talk about
how to make a company run better
when at the same time
making it more confortable
more productive space
for those among us
who find large social situations draining
[Credits theme]
Real quick-up talk
Today's episode was written by fellow game designer
[???]
Thanks
to begin
it's important to understand
that introversion and extroversion
exist on a complex personality spectrum
however for this video
we're going to be focusing
specificly on the classic perception of an introvert
and how we as friends and coworkers
can aknowledge their needs
and that starts by dispell some common myths
about all introverts
myth 1:
all introverts are shy
this is false
being an introvert
doesn't mean someone is shy
it just means
they gain energy being alone
and they take energy to interact with crows of people they don't know
which could mean they're less encline to small talks
and the people have to work a little bit harder
to engage them in a conversation
and once that understood
it can make communicating with introverts easy and streamlined
and introverts might not want their boss or coworkers to start a conversation
with casual chit chat
like if they saw the game last night
talking about the weather
or going to the company party
most likely
they'd rather talk what's immediately on their mind
like the work
something that they invested in
in fact they more likely
to be receptive going from talking about work
to small talk
or having a personal conversation
than the way around
Myth 2:
introverts can't be leaders
to dispell this one
look across the spectrum of tech companies
and you'll see this is obviously untrue
holding introverts back from leadership positions
is counter productive
it just has to be understood
that introverts leadership style
would be slightly different
then that extroverts
for instance more focused on deeper one-to-one communications
and possibly less team events
myth 3:
introverts
don't like to talk
many introverts love to talk
they just may want more focus to conversation
because trying to converse about nothing
can feel draining or overwhelming
and having a more casual conversation with an introvert
can require trust and openness
this is common right away
which leads us to
Myth 4:
introverts
don't like me
I've relied a lot on people
that often feel like the introverts at their company
don't like them
this simply
isn't true
all I mean it might be true
if the person feeling like or dislike
is kinda jerk microwaving fishing the brick room
but you get what I mean
it just that the signals
for like and dislike
are often different
among introverts and extroverts
not making small talks
habituly refuse to go out for drinks
and bringing conversations to a close
when work related topics are done
can be sounds as dislike between extroverts
bur for introverts
none of that
necessary means
that they don't like you.
Perhaps it's just the activity that you're inviting them to
are draining for them
so they'll often pass
for an introvert
it can take time to build trust
and determine that they want to pay the emotion cost to socialize
and when they do
please keep in mind
that certain venues
might be more conducive for them
for instance a packed bar can be fun
but they don't work for everyone
so can we do
to make the workplace a better, more productive environment
for our more introvert friends?
First,
allow people time and space to think.
Very often in current workplace culture
we ask for immediate suggestions
in brainstorming sessions and team meetings
while binding ideas around this way works for many people
very often introverts more confortable taking some time by themselves
and walking through an answer beofre presenting it
so if possible
send the question you're trying to answer in your meeting
out early
so people have time to move them over
also in the meeting
create space for everyone to talk
by occasionnally asking the group question like:
'Does anyone else have any ideas?'
because otherwise
the loudest voices
are often the only one that get heard
next
we shouldn't have the majority of our networking events
at large parties
whether it's GDC
or a company function
one of the main ways to network in this industry
especially early in our career
is in the environment
that's definitely not enjoyable for everyone
no of course that doesn't mean we shouldn't have parties
just there should be other avenues for networking
like small discussion sessions
or knowledge building groups
oh and when we do have parties
you should make sure no one is penalized for not going
and the event
is easy to leave confortably
and we know I don't have to say this
but never try to force a person into staying if they're ready to go
after all
pressuring people to doing things they're inconfortable with
is pretty lame
another thing we should talk about
is how an office is laid out
because wall open up is plan
might work for some people
they can be especially bad for introverts
to focus
to recharge
to think through problems
introverts often need a space
that they can feel is their own
don't interrupt them
at any moment
finally
an office should never try
to
cure
introversion
often times
company encourage people to
get over their introversion
or even give workshops
with titles like
like becoming more extroverted
what they want
os for employees to share more knowledge
but in taking those actions
the company is defaulting
to giving the extroverted an answer to the problem
remember introverted employees
might achieve the same goal in different ways
maybe doing one and one sessions with peers and supervizers
or doing detailed documentation
on their work and their process
being an introvert
isn't a weakness or a disability
it's just a different way of operating
one that come with different strenghs
that a company
and the industry might lose
if they solely thinks in term of extroverts work habits
so
if you want your company
to be a more productive,
healtier space
don't try to
'fix' introverts
but instead
be a part of creating an environment
where they can thrive
see you next week everybody!