DG
Daniel Goleman
Psychologist and Author of Emotional Intelligence
Speaking Fee
Fee on request
Based In
United States
Signature Topic
The Power of Introverts
Format
Keynote and Moderated Conversation
About Susan
Susan Cain changed how organizations think about the quiet third of their workforce, and the commercial version of her argument is blunter than the cultural one: companies systematically mistake confidence for competence, and lose ideas because of it.
Quiet, published in 2012, was a number one New York Times bestseller and made the case that Western workplaces are built around an extroverted ideal that has no evidence behind it. Open-plan offices, group brainstorming and hiring processes that reward the most fluent person in the room are not neutral design choices; they favor a personality type over an output. Her practical argument is that solitude is a precondition for original thinking, and that the meetings most organizations run are structured to prevent it.
Bittersweet, in 2022, was also a number one New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club selection. It moves from personality to emotional range, arguing that longing and sorrow are sources of creativity and connection rather than problems to be managed away, which is why she sits on an emotional intelligence roster as well as a leadership one.
Her TED talks have been viewed more than fifty million times across TED and YouTube, and LinkedIn has ranked her among the most followed influencers in the world.
She is booked for leadership summits, culture and inclusion programs, and organizations designing how they run meetings, offices and hiring. The register is calm and research-led rather than exhortative, which is itself the point given the subject, and a moderated conversation often works as well as a keynote.
Keynote Topics
Quiet: Harnessing the Strengths of Introverts
Why Solitude Matters to Original Thinking
Designing Meetings, Offices and Hiring for Every Temperament
Bittersweet: Emotional Range as a Source of Creativity
Best For
- Leadership summits and executive offsites
- Culture, inclusion and belonging programs
- Technology, engineering and research organizations
- Workplace design and future of work events
- Moderated conversations and fireside formats
Booking Susan Cain: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Susan Cain's speaking fee?
Susan Cain's fee is not published here and is quoted per event. It is driven by event date, location and travel, session length, whether the session is delivered in person or virtually, and whether a moderated conversation or book signing is added to the keynote. Submit an inquiry with your date and audience size for a current quote and availability.
What is the business argument in Quiet?
That organizations mistake confidence for competence and lose ideas as a result. Open-plan offices, group brainstorming and hiring that rewards the most fluent person in the room favor a personality type rather than an output, and solitude is a precondition for original thinking that most meeting structures actively prevent.
How does Bittersweet relate to the workplace?
It moves from personality to emotional range, arguing that longing and sorrow are sources of creativity and connection rather than problems to manage away. That is why the material sits on an emotional intelligence roster as well as a leadership one, and it suits organizations willing to treat feeling as information.
Is a keynote or a conversation the better format?
Both work. The register is calm and research-led rather than exhortative, which suits her subject, and a moderated conversation often lands as well as a prepared keynote. Tell us the room and the slot and we will recommend which.
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Susan Cain
Author of Quiet and Bittersweet
Fee on request
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