Ask the Author: Susan Cain
Answered Questions (4)
Susan Cain
Take a look at Chapter 4 of Quiet — there’s a ton of research in there (and in the related endnotes) proving that radically open office plans threaten productivity, focus, and creativity. In fact, the critique of open office plans has now gone mainstream. I just attended a conference hosted by Gensler, the powerhouse architecture and design firm, and the CEO began by declaring that we are in the era of “The New Individualism.” The pendulum is indeed swinging back to a more balanced design, where people can move freely between private and social spaces. (In fact, I helped Steelcase create “Quiet Spaces” that any company can add to their open office plans. See, e.g., http://www.metropolismag.com/June-201...) Best of luck and let me know if you get any traction!
Susan Cain
I always recommend a quota system for networking events. Try to connect with each person you speak to on a deep level. Once you’ve spoken to three people whose company you truly enjoyed and who you’re authentically happy to keep in touch with and help in any way you can, then you get to go home!
Susan Cain
I completely agree with you, and worry that we’re really shortchanging students who prefer to work autonomously and independently. Here are some ideas:
1) Mix up the way you ask students to work in class — provide a mix of independent work, pair work, and small group work.
2) I love the “think, pair, share” method, in which students are asked to think about the answer to questions, pair together with a single partner to discuss their thoughts, and then choose to volunteer (or not) to share their ideas with the group. This gives the intro kids more time to think, to discuss their ideas in a non-threatening setting (i.e., one on one) and then, having gone through this process, to risk sharing them with the group.
3) Make sure there are alternatives for quieter kids during free times such as recess. There should be an alternative to recess (e.g., playing chess or other games in a nearby classroom, having cozy sofas for curling up on, and books to read, etc.)
I hope you’ll contact me separately about this. At Quiet Revolution, we are getting to work on this issue (creating online courses for teachers and advocacy programs for school reform) and we’d love to have you involved!
1) Mix up the way you ask students to work in class — provide a mix of independent work, pair work, and small group work.
2) I love the “think, pair, share” method, in which students are asked to think about the answer to questions, pair together with a single partner to discuss their thoughts, and then choose to volunteer (or not) to share their ideas with the group. This gives the intro kids more time to think, to discuss their ideas in a non-threatening setting (i.e., one on one) and then, having gone through this process, to risk sharing them with the group.
3) Make sure there are alternatives for quieter kids during free times such as recess. There should be an alternative to recess (e.g., playing chess or other games in a nearby classroom, having cozy sofas for curling up on, and books to read, etc.)
I hope you’ll contact me separately about this. At Quiet Revolution, we are getting to work on this issue (creating online courses for teachers and advocacy programs for school reform) and we’d love to have you involved!
Susan Cain
Such an interesting question! It was definitely the latter — the book’s theme gave rise to the research. I was pretty sure that my thesis was correct, based on having lived in the world for 37 years at the time I started writing the book. But since I was making such a counter-cultural argument, I wanted every single assertion I made to be backed up by research. I spent years doing that research, and loved every minute of it.
Still, the first draft I turned in to my editor didn’t actually include most of that research — I was afraid that most people aren’t as wonky as I am, and was afraid to bore them. I thought I’d put a list of resources at the end of the book, and leave it at that. But my editor, Rachel Klayman, told me the book should be much more substantive, and sent me back to the drawing board to rewrite it from scratch. She told me to take all the time I needed for the re-draft. It took two years. It’s very unusual for publishing houses to be so generous with time, and I’ll always be grateful to her.
Still, the first draft I turned in to my editor didn’t actually include most of that research — I was afraid that most people aren’t as wonky as I am, and was afraid to bore them. I thought I’d put a list of resources at the end of the book, and leave it at that. But my editor, Rachel Klayman, told me the book should be much more substantive, and sent me back to the drawing board to rewrite it from scratch. She told me to take all the time I needed for the re-draft. It took two years. It’s very unusual for publishing houses to be so generous with time, and I’ll always be grateful to her.
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