What if one of the most pervasive forms of workplace harm isn’t hidden at all — but normalized as “just the way work works”?

In this eye-opening and paradigm-shifting session, participants will confront a largely unspoken but deeply embedded force shaping workplace culture: extraversion bias. Often dismissed as a preference or personality difference, this bias operates as a systemic form of exclusion that undermines the confidence, contributions, and psychological safety of introverts every day.

With roughly half the workforce identifying as introverted, the impact is far-reaching — yet rarely named. From being talked over in meetings to being penalized for reflection, overlooked for leadership, or pressured to perform socially, introverts are often navigating environments that reward visibility over value and noise over nuance.

This session breaks down the myths surrounding introversion, explores how communication differences between introverts and extraverts can create tension that escalates into harmful dynamics, and reveals how everyday workplace practices quietly reinforce this bias. Through real-world examples and case insights, participants will see how many introverts adapt to survive — but are prevented from truly thriving.

More importantly, this talk provides actionable strategies for change: how leaders can recognize and interrupt these patterns, how organizations can redesign environments to support diverse working styles, and how introverts can confidently articulate their strengths without conforming to extroverted norms.

By naming extraversion bias as a socially sanctioned form of psychological harm, this session invites a critical shift — from unconscious exclusion to intentional inclusion. Psychological safety doesn’t happen by chance, and harmful systems don’t change on their own. They change when we choose to see them — and do something different.

Joanna Rawbone is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, coach, and founder of Flourishing Introverts. With decades of experience in organizational development, she is on a mission to challenge the deeply embedded extraversion bias that silences and sidelines half the workforce. Joanna works with organizations to uncover hidden patterns of exclusion and build psychologically safe, inclusive environments where all working styles are valued. She also empowers introverts to embrace their strengths, own their voice, and make meaningful impact without conforming to extroverted norms. Fierce, insightful, and unapologetically introverted, she is redefining what effective leadership looks like — and leading the movement to end survival-mode workplaces.