“Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions” – Charles Brower

What’s Coaching for Introverts?

by Andrew Annett

Why on earth do you focus on introverts? And who or what are they anyway?  Please – jump right in  – ask the obvious questions up front.

Well,  introverted behaviour is a preference of between one quarter to half of the population. I’m not taking about shyness – but rather – folks who thrive on reflection rather than engagement. And are drained rather than energized by social interaction. Life as an introvert in an extroverted world can be challenging for both types of people.

These challenges frequently arise in team communication, particularly in technical environments or cross-functional projects. And that’s where I’ve spent my entire career as a card-carrying introvert. I think we can improve the way we interact and it’s my goal to help people be better understood.

Getting started – The first step is a no-charge phone consultation where you and I talk about your situation and goals and, through focused conversation, decide if we can effectively work together. You can expect lots of questions. If we both feel there’s likely to be progress, we’ll develop our schedule and set up future calls.

Program format – We’ll typically work by telephone. Between our calls, you’ll have e-mail access to me. The Results Coaching process is structured on 12 sessions and will span three to six months depending on the frequency of calls we decide on.

Program structure – I’ll work with you to help you set three significant goals to achieve. Together we’ll work on taking positive steps towards those goals.  Each week we’ll deal with dilemmas and challenges as they arise and highlight insights that will propel this journey forward.  This will be an opportunity to  develop alternatives to those patterns that perhaps aren’t serving you as well as they once did.  And you’ll look for ways to build new behaviours into beneficial habits.

Much of our behaviour happens unconsciously. There are patterns we follow out of habit, responses our brain makes “automatically” , and stories we tell ourselves that are no longer useful. I work to help you become more conscious of the way you behave and communicate, and to align your intentions and actions.  You’ll learn new techniques, new habits, and new ways of thinking, so that you are understood and understand others.

Assessments and tools – A variety of standard assessments is available at It’s Understood. Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) is a good starting place for examining preferences around decision-making and processing information. It also sheds light on preferred communication style, and how that style works with other types. In all cases we look at these as useful indicators not definitive diagnostic tools.

There are work sheets and exercises and yes, there will be homework. This is your journey and it will mean flexing some muscle.

Wandering off topic – The objective of our sessions will be to make you better at what you choose to do. Still, life-related issues can and do affect your work and your communication.  If I sense what you need is pure life coaching, counselling, or therapy, you can be sure I’ll refer you to someone with that specialty.

Next steps – So if you like what you’ve heard so far, and you want to learn more, please contact me for a real conversation. I look forward to talking with you.

If you want to know more about what to expect and what governs this type or relationship here’s a link to the ICF Code of Ethics…(We adhere to it too).

If you want to reach your maximum capability, contact It’s Understood.