The Power of Introverts

Susain Cain- The Power of Introverts

In this speech given by Susain Cain, to promote her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a world that can’t stop talking, she talks about how introverts are devalued in today’s society compared to extroverts. She explains how today society is is catered to extroverts, such as teaching students how to work in groups but not teaching them how to work individually, how our workplaces are now more open and noisy compared to quiet spaces. Cain explains how people who do not conform to these types of situations are usually considered outliers, and not as valued as students/employees who strive on group work. 

Cain goes on to explain, how group work and collaboration is extremely important, but being able to work individually is also important. She tells us how introverts are not shy, uncreative people, they are people are who stimulated in a different way as they are individuals who are most capable in quiet situations. She explains that extroversion and introversion should go hand in hand and that situations should be catered for both because if we constantly put introverts in situations that are for extroverts (such as constant group work) society will miss out on all the creativity introverts have to give.

Personally, after watching this video, I agreed to a lot Susain Cain was saying. In our classrooms, participation and group work is a major chunk of what we do, which is sometimes difficult for introverts (such as myself) to get engaged. As an introvert, I believe group projects and learning to work well in groups is really important (especially in the business field) but having the ability to work individually is just as important. There have been a couple of times in my degree program, where I  have been put into situations, such as being called on by a professor, that have made me quite uncomfortable. A lot of professors value individuals who can engage in debates and participate in classroom discussion but sometimes as an introvert, I find this extremely overwhelming to do.  

If you guys want to see the whole speech given by Susan Cain, it can be found here:

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html