I am a bit of a TED Talk junkie. These powerful 18-minute-or-so presentations expose me to many different topics and viewpoints I might not have otherwise considered. I not only learn a lot, but I also enjoy the variety of speaking styles and approaches to engaging an audience. Founded in Monterey, Calif. in 1984 as a small conference to address Technology, Entertainment and Design topics – hence the TED acronym – TED Talks is now a non-profit organization that seeks to share the ideas of some of the world’s most creative people. Five TED Talkers, Five Books While some TED Talk presenters are already established authors, others use their TED Talk presentations as a way to launch a new book. Still others are inspired to write books after the success of their presentations. Here are a few of the best books by TED presenters. TED Talkers' favorite books - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (2013) Writer and researcher Susan Cain called 2012 her “Year of Speaking Dangerously” and found that when the year was over, she had become an oxymoron – a public introvert. In her book and her TED Talk, Cain discusses the differences between introverts and extroverts and that we need to both honor the introverted side of ourselves and value it in others. Cain cites studies that show from one- third to one-half of all adults in North America are introverts, yet our culture glorifies the extrovert model. Cain argues that many introverts feel forced to be something they're not, and, as a result, we, as a society, lose the valuable contributions they have. Favorite Quote: “I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they're good talkers, but they don't have good ideas. It's so easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent. Someone seems like a good... More