Smart, Not Loud

May 13, 2024
This sensible debut from Chen, CEO of the communications training agency Soulcast Media, explores how people from “quiet cultures” (which privilege humility, listening, and avoiding conflict) can thrive in workplaces with a “loud culture” (which values outspokenness, directness, and open ambition). Chen describes how her Taiwanese immigrant parents raised her to value “ ‘quiet’ traits,” which led bosses to overlook her during her former career as a TV news reporter. Her “quiet capital framework” offers advice on how more reserved employees can garner recognition for their work, encouraging readers to establish a “career brand,” or reputation, by identifying what tasks they excel at and pitching projects that allow them to demonstrate those strengths. Anecdotes from Chen’s career illustrate the guidance, as when she emphasizes the importance of advocating for oneself by recounting how she successfully petitioned her boss to let her fill in for the news station’s usual anchor whenever they called in sick. Useful suggestions for improving one’s communication skills dig into the nitty-gritty components of speech, entreating readers to talk “at a higher pitch when showing enthusiasm” and a lower pitch when “we want to convey authority and seriousness.” Introverts will appreciate the guidance on standing out. Agent: Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Courage Literary.