An introvert is typically a type of person whom one assumes is poor at making conversation and tends to prefer to be alone versus being in social situations. This is typically true, which is why the presumption of such things comes to mind when hearing the word 'Introvert'. In the TED talk "The Power of Introverts" hosted by Susan Cain, Cain discusses introversion in the average human and how this type of personality can actually be useful not just for the individual but for the community. She does this through the use of story-telling, real life examples, and by listing and examining the pros and cons of introversion.

Susan Cain was a Wall Street lawyer who at the time of the video had recently finished up writing and publishing her first book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." The book gained recognition and led to the proposal of her being asked to perform her TED Talk on the topic of introversion. The irony of the proposal was that she, an introvert, would now have to publicly speak in front of a considerably large crowd for a renowned business platform about spreading great ideas. She began the talk with an interesting story which described her first experience of pretending to be an extrovert. At a young age she went to a summer camp where she was teased by a fellow cabin member and cabin counselor for not being outgoing enough while she quietly read her books. Her cabin counselor actually told her she needed to follow the friendly camp song they had all learned, "R-O-W-D-I-E", which made her negatively stand out for being introverted as a young girl. 

Following this short story, she moves further into her presentation by discussing how introversion is neglected in schooling around the nation by stating that the school systems enforce an extroverted way of learning onto the students while they are in class. She then elaborated that point by stating that extroversion is not only forced onto people in school, but also in situations such as in the workplace and in religious institutions. To elaborate; why this style of teaching and atmosphere is unnecessary when integrated with introverts, she moves on to discuss the contributions that introverts can provide to society. To prove this point, she gives examples of well known introverts who have been helpful contributors to society. The first that she mentioned was Steve Wozniak, who was introverted when he was in grade school which helped him focus and be passionate with his job when he first invented the Apple computer. Another well known figure was Gandhi, who was still the face of peace and hope for a whole group of people despite being introverted because he knew what must be done for change, he became the leader he never meant to be which developed him into the figurehead of inspiration to this very day. She used these real examples of well known and highly acclaimed people, and described how their introversion helped them to that path of excellence to prove that being an introvert can be useful and provide a contribution to society. 

Cain's explanation of an introvert is a type of person that would prefer to go and have a nice quiet dinner either alone or with a close friend rather than go out to a bar and socialize with large groups of different people. Being an introvert does not necessarily classify someone as shy, for not all introverts are poor at or are scared of socialization. The classification of an introvert rather focuses on someone who thrives in working in certain solo situations and prefers solitude more often than not. This is as described by Cain in her talk, in attempt to make people see that introverts are not just lonely and sappy people as interpreted by most people when they think of introverted personalities. Cain wants negate the stereotype where introversion is linked with the type of person who is a loner who dislikes other humans, because that's far from the truth. She wants people to understand and respect the personality, and to understand that if not for having extroverts as well as introverts, the world would be a very different, less efficient place. 

Introverts have the ability to think freely and work with their ideas and emotions by themselves and successfully protrude these into their life. The main persuasive point in Cain's TED talk is that introverts should not be a shunned group of society just because of their natural tendencies to be quiet, solitary working people. She wants the crowd, and any viewers who may see the video, to have a greater understanding that introverts are not a 'poison' to society just because they enjoy solitude and muted environments. From the eyes of an introvert herself, she believes that introverts can be anything they want, whether its being a leader, a moral figure, or even an entrepreneur. Their ability to do work well in solitary environments does not alone harm productivity by any means but rather excels it in most cases, which is the point she is trying to get across. 

After Cain finishes the end of her short story at the beginning of the speech, she goes on to explain that her summer camp experience story was just one of many stories she could have shared about how her introversion was viewed negatively; and how they are all similar because the stories had to do with Cain hearing that this lifestyle of preferring to be alone is bad and unhealthy for her. Even though today's society attempts to push introversion out and pursue an extroverted way of living, Cain says it would be hard to try and get rid of the introverts. She claims that "every one-in-two to every one-in-three people you meet will be an introvert." That means that thirty three to fifty percent of people are introverted, and there is a very good chance that you will encounter an introvert, not just once but multiple times a day. By mentioning the accomplishments of Rosa Parks, Gandhi and Steve Wozniak, Cain was able to explain introverts contribution to society. This goes against the stereotypical meta that introverts are quiet, lazy, and unable to lead. These people went against their personality theme because they felt they had to, and if not for what they did there would have been no change in that time. She says this to prove that introverts can be leaders, and powerful, and don't always stick to the classification status quo. Her main purpose was to show the equality of introverts, and the crush the idea that they are inferior to extroverts in society. Cain believes that there is not a perfect, or good, balance between the split of introverts and extroverts in our society. She explicitly says "we need more of a yin and yang between the two types," because she believes society would function better off if this were to be true.  She believes a better connection between the two types of people will be better off for connections of creativity, and ideas.

To explain her thoughts and insights on the topic of introversion, Cain uses personal stories, facts on introversion, and comparing the pros and cons of the world of introversion and extroversion. To be an introvert is not all about someone who is very reserved, unsociable, and awkward. Cain wanted to get the point across that introverts should be known for more than just those few descriptors. She doesn't want people to get the connotation that introverts are just lazy, non-contributing members of society, solely on the basis that they are typically more quiet and less sociable than others. These traits do not describe a person as a whole, and even with these certain traits introverts can accomplish so much more than that. People should not be defined by just one word, especially if that one word gives a negative connotation in the realms of society. Cain wants the world to understand that if we are to be more efficient, we need to find a better balance between the differences of introversion and extroversion, and that begins with a deeper understanding of those classified as introverts. 

