Pythons + Vipers: Empathy in Tech

Pythons and vipers are far from friendly. They’re scaly, try to kill you and are kinda associated with Satan.

But they have a lot to teach us about empathy.

We all know there’s a diversity problem in tech. It’s literally been beaten into our heads. What we haven’t heard is a solution. And I’m not talking about hiring pipelines.

Some of you are the oldest engineer on your team. Or the youngest. Maybe you’re the only woman or person of color. Perhaps you have depression or anxiety. You’re married. Single. Have kids. Care for an ailing parent. Gay. Straight. Transgender.

We’re all different. And I think that’s pretty awesome. But sometimes — often — our differences divide us.

This talk will focus on empathy. And how we can use it to make our jobs, and each other, more awesome.

We’ll cover the evolutionary forces that make our brains desire conformity, look at Solomon Asch’s study on social pressure and discover how one simple change can open our eyes and help us start solving diversity in tech.

Transcript

1. ` Emily Freeman | @editingemily Pythons + Vipers Hiring for Diversity in Tech
2. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
3. Humans are herd animals. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
4. Survival Emily Freeman | @editingemily
5. Group > Individual Emily Freeman | @editingemily
6. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
7. Emily Freeman | @editingemily Social norms.
8. Emily Freeman | @editingemily Solomon Asch
9. Emily Freeman | @editingemily A B C standard line comparison lines
10. Emily Freeman | @editingemily A B C standard line comparison lines
11. The feels. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
12. • Feel incompetent or insecure • In a group of 3 or more • Everyone else agrees • Feel as if others are watching Emily Freeman | @editingemily
13. Different. Rejected. Alone. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
14. We’re all a bit different. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
15. We’re all a bit different. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
16. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
17. Emily Freeman | @editingemily
18. Emily Freeman | @editingemily ncwit.org
19. #womenintech Emily Freeman | @editingemily
20. Emily Freeman | @editingemily Pay attention.