Stand-up or Daily Scrum - the simplest, most likeable meeting. It's like small talk at work - how far did you get at work yesterday, what are you in the mood for today, what are your difficulties, what do you rely on others to help you with - socialising, in a formal meeting - do you need more? 

So why is the handling and facilitation of stand-up is one of the most common problems that a beginner and in many cases an advanced Scrum Master has to deal with? Raise your hand if you have never encountered one of the comments: "it's basically a status meeting", "everyone hates it", "let's do it by email", "I don't turn on the camera", or "we always overrun the time and some people don't even speak".  

We are not the same. What is a pleasant start of the day for one person, is a torture for another. Nowadays, the notion of introversion and extraversion is becoming more and more commonplace, but can we deal with it in a framework that is at first sight, is based on the hypersocial, American style of communication? 

Let's start by clarifying some popular claims.  

Introverts hate meetings. 

False. Introverts hate unnecessary meetings that are about everything but what they should be about, and are half an hour longer than planned.  

An introvert and an extrovert are always in conflict because they are so different. 

 

False. Introversion and extroversion is a scale. It is very rare to be jet black or even snow white. In general, we are ambiverts, i.e. we behave more socially in different situations and less socially in different situations. 

Which end of the scale we are most likely to be at is mainly genetic, and introversion or extraversion is one of the most important parts of our personality. This can vary a little with upbringing, environment and self-awareness, but it is almost impossible to go from being a very introverted person to a very extroverted one, or vice versa. This does not mean that the two people cannot get along, provided that they both know and respect each other's social needs and means of communication, and try to communicate in ways that serve their mutual interests.

Introverts don't like to talk, they are usually shy or they hate people. 

False. Of course there are shy people among introverts, but introversion is not the same as shyness. In most cases, it's just that for an extrovert, most social interactions and conversations - even a chat about nothing - are valuable and pleasant experiences in themselves.  The introvert is extremely tired of small talk, bored of gossip - but if it's a meaningful conversation, and on a subject that really interests him or her - he or she can talk for hours.  

Extra- or introversion is just about social interactions. 

False. This is one of the most common misconceptions. In fact, it is a much broader concept as we use it simplistically. Let's look at what additional characteristics can be associated with the two attitudes. 

extrovert	introvert
has a high level of stimulation, she/he likes to pay attention and be active in several directions at once; she/he is energized by the spin, moves quickly	feels easily overwhelmed: confused by sounds, lights, smells, and concentrate difficulty when the environment is not calm; she/he is slower to react to changes and dislikes them
responds to stress with higher activity	retreats in stressful situations
has a diverse, fast-paced and rich social life, with many superficial relationships	in-depth conversations and relationships
external world, events, people	inner world, thoughts, plans, ideas
more active than reflective	before making a move, likes to observe the situation, to think and to reflect on possible options
change the world	understand the world

 

How do the two types experience Daily Scrum? 

There is a fifteen minute meeting, usually at the beginning of the working day, where everyone has to speak for a few sentences. The aim is to identify any disruptions and resolve them quickly and efficiently, ensuring a sense of continuous progress.  

Extroverted colleagues are likely to be happy to speak up, perhaps with a joke or two, to ask open questions and interact easily with others. 

Introverted team members are most likely to speak up when they have to or when they “forced” to speak. Their situation reports are typically brief, neutral and closed. They don't ask questions, or rarely and they don't really ask for ideas or help.  

What could be the reason for this?

For an introvert, a fifteen minutes meeting is basically too short for a 'meaningful' conversation. He likes to go into detail, and during the Daily Scrum he feels that he cannot develop sufficiently in the minute and a half allotted. He does not want to take time away from those who can express themselves in such a small interval. In fact, he doesn't even want to start his day with small talk, he would rather concentrate on his work. If someone is interested in a status report, he is happy to send an email in which he can be thoughtful, start and end properly, without having to pass the floor to someone else or being questioned.

So our "intro" colleagues will never like Daily Scrum?  

Any meeting can be made more enjoyable and effective for them - and therefore for the whole team. Of course, it's worth talking to the team about what they like and don't like in stand-ups (retrospective). However, there are a few universal rules that are worth trying for every team.

Tips for a successful Stand-up:

1. Don't overrun the time!  

A stand-up should not last longer than fifteen minutes, and stick to the start and end times. Don't go over the time limit even if you could really talk.  

2. Find a way to get everyone to speak - and to speak up. 

There are different ways to do this, you can do it alphabetically, you can do it from the top down, you can do it by throwing a ball - discuss with the team which one you like. It's important that the Scrum Master keeps an eye on the time, and the introverted colleague waiting at the end of the queue, who is already prepared with his round and a half minute report, should not start in the last ten seconds, because this will stress him. 

3. Learn to summarize what you have to say in a short and concise way.  

Both extroverts and introverts, though for different reasons, may be inclined to speak for longer than is appropriate in a stand-up. Organize a workshop, teach your colleagues to communicate more concisely.  

4. Don't cut each other off.  
5. Stick to the structure of the meeting.  

For introverts, the real (and often overlooked) value of agile ceremonies is that they have structure and predictability of what will happen, no need to react to sudden changes. If the conversation reveals that there is a longer topic, set a specific time for it and invite only those who are directly involved. 

6. For online stand-up, turn on your camera, but don't force anyone to show themselves immediately. 

Many people are used to on-camera meetings because of the lockdown caused by telecommuting, but far from everyone. Introverted colleagues are likely to take a little longer to get into the habit of joining in with a camera, but don't make them uncomfortable by bringing it up, especially in front of others.

7. Stick to what we agreed. 

Except when it clearly doesn't work. Fortunately, there is a solution to this: the retrospective ceremony, which we will cover in detail in the near future. In fact, the rules of the stand-up can be written down in a working agreement that the team can draw up together. 

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