If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen this article I recently linked to, which talks about introverts and the ways they interact differently than their extravert counterparts. Right here and now, I admit it-I am an introvert. I prefer to read rather than interact socially. I am quiet. I am slow to respond, usually because I’m thinking about what to say. I absolutely hate talking on the phone. I wouldn’t characterize myself as “shy” but social situations definitely drain me, rather than energize me. Does this surprise you? Not me-I knew all this about myself already.
However, what surprised me most is the number of you who reached out and said that you, also were an introvert. But wait-Speech Language Pathologists as introverts? Isn’t that some sort of oxymoron? Can the conversation guru ever prefer quiet? Is it possible for us to teach social skills but still feel a tad anxious in social situations? Can we teach our students how to collaborate with others when we ourselves prefer to work alone? Can the introvert teach social language skills? It started me thinking…perhaps we’re some of the best people to be teaching these skills.
In her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain describes introverts like this:
“They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society–from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.”
In our world where noise and spotlight are often valued, here is a different aspect and why those who are more introverted make great SLPs:
1. We’re listeners. Our students need listeners-not someone talking over them. When I was in graduate school, one of my professors said something that always stuck with me. “In every session, your students should have a higher percentage of spoken words than you.” How do our students improve communication skills if we’re the ones doing all the talking? Our sessions should provide communication practice, then feedback, and then time for more practice. Introverts are good at this.
2. We’re creative. As stated above, many of world’s best inventors and contributors were introverts. People such as Bill Gates, Rosa Parks, Dr. Suess all identified themselves as introverts. I love people. However, communicating with them all day drains me. Creating is my outlet. After a long day, I love to come home and work on creating new speech therapy materials to use, scrapbook or browse Pinterest.
3. We tend to think before we speak. We carefully consider a problem from all angles before jumping in. And…although we typically don’t prefer working in groups, it’s why we’re good at it. We can usually collaborate well with teachers and hold our own in meetings. Our administrators know they can trust us in that meeting with the fuming hot parent not to say anything stupid. We might be slow to respond, but when we do, it’s usually worth listening to.
4. And finally… We’ve been there. To that little fourth grader who dreads social situations in the noisy lunchroom, we can relate. At times, we’ve had to “pretend extrovert” just to get by so we’re also good at teaching these skills. If I want to lose weight, am I going to go to the the 110 lb trainer who has never in her life struggled with weight? No! I’m going to run to my friend who has been there, who has struggled and can give me strategies and tips for losing weight. It’s the same here. We can give strategies to our kids because we’ve been where they are.
I hope this gave you something to think about with introverts and the benefits they can bring to our field. As for me, I’m going off to read a book now 😉
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Heidi says
January 12, 2015 at 4:30 pmThis is great! I am totally an introvert and this was a perfect description 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Anita says
January 12, 2015 at 6:34 pmThis article COULD have been written by my best friend, another SLP! What a great read this was and gave me (not an introvert) plenty to think about:)! Thanks so much for your insight…
Rachel S. says
January 12, 2015 at 10:14 pmThank you for this very encouraging post!! It has been neat to see some of my character traits benefitting my therapy sessions, when I initially thought they would be a hinderance.
Sarah Stevens says
January 12, 2015 at 10:27 pmTHANK YOU!!! It’s nice to know that I am not alone!! I am DRAINED when I get home and dread social obligations at times because I am “peopled out” from work. But I love being a Speechie. Love the article. Fabulous description of how some of us connect with kids on a different level. I know I’ve asked my SLPA, “How am I supposed to teach those social skills when I know I’ve made those errors myself!!??” Her response was, “because you’ve made the errors and can correct it.” Even when we feel anxious or unsure. And then we can go home and read and recoup and do it again the next day. 🙂
Angie says
January 13, 2015 at 12:02 amThank you for this– I always thought maybe I picked the wrong field because I am an introvert. Now I see there are others like me. I feel one of my strengths– as you mentioned– is my ability to listen. Most of my students listen all day and are hungry to share with me when they get to my room. I think that is one reason they like to come to speech!
SLP Runner says
January 13, 2015 at 12:58 amExcellent article. I couldn’t agree more and appreciate the skills that introverts bring to our profession.
Kelsey says
January 13, 2015 at 1:05 amThanks for writing this! I am a definite introvert and an SLP, and it was something I really struggled with during grad school. Sometimes I felt like because I was quiet and introverted, I had no right to be in this field. But over time, learned that the differences in my personality are some of my best strengths as a clinician–being calm and level-headed, being a good listener, having empathy, etc. I also learned that some kids (and adults) respond much better to my personality style – it helps them feel comfortable and willing to try things in therapy. Reading the book you mentioned (Quiet) helped a lot, too!
CC says
January 13, 2015 at 1:37 amI’m an introvert too (although my staff at school doesn’t believe me bc I act so silly!) and these are great reasons why it can be a good thing! Just don’t expect me to make phone calls to initiate a meeting!
Heather says
January 13, 2015 at 2:45 amWhat a great article! Somedays I’m so drained from so much interaction I think, “why couldn’t I have been an accountant or something that didn’t require me to communicate so much on a daily basis?” I crave my quiet time….I also cannot see myself doing anything other than what I do. I’ve learned so much from other professionals and my students mainly because I’m listening and not thinking what my next comment might be. I’m so honored when my students feel they can share with me. What a wonderful diverse field we work in that all personalities and styles are welcome!
Amanda says
January 13, 2015 at 4:11 pmI am an introverted SLP! I was once asked about strengths and weaknesses in college, as I’m sure we all were. I remember saying I consider me being introverted as a weakness. The person then asked my why I considered that a weakness… it got me thinking. This person was an extrovert, but did not consider introverts as weak people. It was very insightful to me!
Thank you for this post! It reminded me that it is ok to be an introvert in this field. It also reminded me of all the strengths we have as introverted SLPs when treating our students!
Kristine says
January 13, 2015 at 5:04 pmThank you for this article! I felt like I didn’t fit in during grad school because I am an introvert. I know some of my clinical instructors were worried that I was too quiet. However, I love talking to my students!
Jenna says
January 13, 2015 at 10:58 pmCalling parents makes me incredibly anxious. I don’t know why but I always stress over this aspect of my job. I agree it is necessary but I wish I could find a way around it. I’m very introverted around co-workers but my kids know I’m very fun and silly.
Elise says
January 14, 2015 at 1:06 amI already knew I was an introvert, but your descriptions could not be more accurate for me too! Appreciate your thoughts on relating this to how being an introvert can be a positive in our field.
Thanks so much! I’m not alone…..!
Brittany Norris says
January 14, 2015 at 1:29 amLove this! I too am an introvert and struggled during grad school and my first two years as a clinician. I finally found my place at a school and am beyond grateful for that, and glad that I stuck with it to learn that there is a place for me in the SLP world 🙂 Thanks for the great post!
Allison says
January 17, 2015 at 9:29 pmI’m also introverted and most acquaintances are surprised to hear that. It does seem funny considering we teach communication skills and are in total control in the therapy room (we hope ;)). I wish I could want to hang out with people all the time!
Sarah wu says
January 20, 2015 at 4:43 amI love this. Thanks so much for sharing!
Karyn says
March 6, 2015 at 3:21 pmIt was so great to read this and to hear about other introverted SLPs! I work with late talkers (0-3) and I think my approach of being responsive and less directive really helps these children. In fact, I’m beginning to think that our early upbringing can influence how introverted or extroverted we are. If our interactions aren’t balanced (like if our main caregiver is overly talkative or bossy) we may not get the practice we need for social communication to be effortless and enjoyable. James D. MacDonald has a good approach for helping young kids be less introverted (check out his website).
Courtney says
March 19, 2015 at 2:39 amI needed this!! Thank you! I’m currently in grad school & in my second semester of clinicals. I’ve honestly been wondering if I chose the right career path because I’m so introverted compared to my supervisor. So great to know that I’m not the only one & that introverts can make wonderful SLPs!
Brittany says
April 3, 2015 at 3:31 amThis was exactly what I needed to read. I just found out I made it into grad school, but I am a bit of an introvert. I know it is going to be a terrifying/wonderful/exciting experience, but I felt like I would be the only one with this type of personality. Thank you. I would love any other guidance you can provide to a fellow introvert. 🙂
Jacqui says
April 8, 2015 at 3:19 amThank you for sharing! I’m still pretty new to speech language pathology, and I have sometimes wondered if I chose my career wisely, in part for this very reason. Reading this post (and the ASHA Leader :D), it felt like you wrote about me! In a sense you did, but I definitely felt a personal connection to it.
Adi says
September 14, 2016 at 6:07 pmThank you for this post. I absolutely loved Susan Cain’s book, and I really appreciate your taking a look at what we introverts contribute to a talkative field 🙂
Kw says
August 13, 2018 at 5:33 pmThis is a fab read, I think SALTs are sometimes made to feel as though we have to be extroverted, exciting and super duper animated to be any good but this article really highlighted the opposite side of it all. 👍🏼👍🏼
Nicole Allison says
August 20, 2018 at 2:40 pmThank you!