There is an old truism that says extroverts can’t imagine what it is like to be an introvert but introverts, conversely, understand perfectly what it’s like to be an extrovert—they just don’t want to do it.

Susan Cain is an introvert and, in this TED talk, she takes their side explaining why the world has recently been skewed towards the extrovert way of doing things, why we need to invest in introverts, and what we can do to find a healthier balance.

The courage she needed to stand up and say this to a large audience is tangible, which adds a dramatic tension to the entire talk, offset by a quiet eloquence obviously learnt—in part at least—in the silent company of a lot of books.