Jul 12, 2019

What does it mean to be an introvert, and is it harder in our society to keep to oneself? Is there a pressure to conform to an Extrovert Ideal? How do introverts assert themselves in education, the workplace and daily life without giving up what makes them unique, thoughtful -- and just them?

Ben brings back Jody MacPherson (Episode 11) to talk about "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain.

About the Book

The book that started the Quiet Revolution

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

About the Guest

Check out Jody on social media:

http://about.me/jodymacpherson

Jody MacPherson is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) with 20+ years of experience in corporate communications and public relations.

Graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Jody spent her teenage years in Fort McMurray working for the local weekly newspaper and radio stations throughout high school as a columnist and on-air reporter. She paid for university, by literally going underground at Syncrude Canada, working in the extraction plant of the oil sands operation in the 80’s, working as the only woman on her shift, logging hours in the underground portion of the mining operation, cleaning up spills and collecting lab samples.

After graduation, Jody stayed in the north to work as a journalist but soon made the leap to public relations in 1986 where she wrote and edited employee publications (and co-authored a book) for several years in Fort McMurray before moving to Edmonton.

As community relations team leader, Jody managed donations programs and organized community relations activities across the province, including a $1 million community investment program in Calgary. She went on to receive an international award of excellence for work in employee communications.

Formed her own communications consulting company and for the next six years specialized in stakeholder consultation (including cross-cultural communication), employee communication, website content and writing/editing for numerous clients.

Beginning in 2005, Jody switched to full-time employment in the public sector in various leadership roles including director of communications and media relations for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine. Left the U of C in July of 2010 to pursue political interests, including volunteer positions as the former VP of Communications for the Alberta Liberal Party (2008-2010) and as communications/media chair for Kent Hehr’s successful election as Member of Parliament in Calgary Centre in 2015 (Mr. Hehr was also appointed to the federal Liberal cabinet as Minister of Veterans Affairs).

After the last municipal election, Jody left a position with a local non-profit organization to supervise a team for the City of Calgary in digital/web communications and social media.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Episode 11: "...according to the book, Selfie", a previous episode featuring Jody MacPherson in a discussion about Will Storr's book
• Episode 45: "...with Marketing and Human Nature", a previous episode featuring Terry O'Reilly
• The Power of Introverts, a TED Talk by Susan Cain
• Who Are You, Really? The Puzzle of Personality, a TED Talk by Brian Little
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, a book by Malcolm Gladwell

The Quote of the Week

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
- Albert Einstein