What advantages do coworking spaces offer introverts?

The working world is primarily geared toward outgoing people with communication skills; dynamic places like coworking spaces seem made for extroverts. But depending on the statistics, 30 to 50 percent of society tends to be more introverted. Introverts need more quiet and less social stimulation. But that makes them a great asset to communities - precisely because of their reserved nature.

What are the arguments for introverts to sign up for a coworking space? And how does community software like coapp actively help them to network and feel comfortable with others anyway?

Good conversation culture and healthy groups

Although it may seem that the atmosphere of coworking spaces suits extroverts better, the concept also offers many advantages to introverts. Not least because they tend to be reserved in social situations and distance themselves from too much hustle and bustle for the time being, this can be a pleasant addition to a community that includes many outgoing and communicative people. Finally, the ability to listen attentively, differentiate, and make decisions analytically is an important prerequisite for functioning groups. Shy personalities more often take the outside perspective and are good at reflecting - a great quality in communities.

Anyone who finds it difficult to take the initiative in conversations can get started with coapp. Introverts can avoid social situations in the kitchenette or at the foosball table and conveniently start conversations via coapp Messenger. Channels and pages also allow larger groups to discuss common interests or projects. Even without the foosball table.

New ideas for event formats

Taraneh Taheri is an author at New Work magazine Neue Narrative, for which she writes about introverts' (over) lives in an extroverted working world. She counts empathy and clarity among her strengths and believes introverts deserve more recognition. She works in a coworking space whose community hosts numerous shared activities such as jogging, lunches, and workshops. "Even though I really like all the people in our coworking space, my first impulse was: I don't want all that," she writes. She marvels at the "matter-of-factness with which it is assumed that all people would be interested in concepts of meeting, collaboration, and exchange at all times."

If the needs of introverts are taken into account in coworking spaces, this can ease the tension somewhat. It should be possible for all types to adjust the perfect balance between privacy and social interaction for themselves. Introverts who prefer to work alone to focus on their tasks still don't want to be completely closed off from the outside world. While on the one hand, coworking spaces should offer various options for retreats, individual offices and quiet areas, coapp can equally help here to find special events in the calendar that do not require sociability.

How about a silent reading session once a month? Or creative classes that focus on painting or pottery without chatter? Artistic activities are also recommended by author Susan Cain, who explains in her best-selling book on introverts, Quiet, that introverts can often express themselves better through writing or art than through conversation.

Provide insights into your own work

"It takes a lot of courage to stand by your own needs, even though they don't fit into an extroverted work environment," writes Taraneh Taheri. "This applies to the need for quiet and solitude in a coworking space, but also to other questions: how do I manage to contribute my critical perspective when everyone around me is dominant and loud? How do I, as a quiet person, make my work transparent?"

For all extroverts who could rattle off their elevator pitch to any stranger before having their first coffee, reporting on their work is hardly a problem. However, introverts may find it easier to present their work digitally via LinkedIn, their website, or their portfolio page in coapp. The latter offer opportunities via the marketplace to find sparring partners in the community, post jobs, or use the search function to look for freelancers with the necessary skills.

The advantage of a coworking space for introverts is, of course, that they can work in a group of like-minded people because here you are more likely to meet people who work in similar fields. This can lead to a higher level of understanding and support in advance. While the interactions in a coworking space may not be as in-depth as in a traditional work environment, working together in one place can still help reduce feelings of isolation. Together and - in the spirit of all introverts - still alone.

The potentials of shyness

In the 04/23 issue of Psychologie Heute, the focus is on shyness and its effects. In an interview, Professor Urs Stäheli describes how shy people tend to remind extroverts of their nature to endure moments of non-communication - something many would have forgotten. "For the prevailing values of effortless communication, shy people are therefore also a provocation," he says. Introverts thus escape a bit of the pressure of self-expression and constant sound bites. "That can spark ideas for other ways of living together, such as appreciative coexistence that doesn't necessarily involve active interactions," Stäheli says.

Mindfulness, quiet appreciation, and just being able to shut up - qualities that are good for any coworking space.