Eleanor SaittaMay 23, 2023

Tech speakers, it's 2023. Stop using moms as your example of a non-technical audience. It's wrong, its not funny, and whatever you were saying, now most of your audience is not thinking about it.

Just use the exec team as an example instead and get on with your life.

Show threadEleanor SaittaMay 23, 2023
(Yes, of course I'm saying this because I just heard another one today, from someone who should — and did — know better)
Show threadEleanor SaittaMay 23, 2023

And dudes, if you think this is a small thing (it's not), then it should be a small thing for you to fix your shit. If you'd like to not have to deal with people being annoying when you do it, you can literally have that.

Everyone else, if you're in a position to do so without it being a risk for you, tell the speaker and the conference, every single time.

Show threadEleanor SaittaMay 23, 2023

Also? Marketing? HR? Largely female-coded work, so you're doing the same thing, but now also showing that you don't really respect your colleagues. And yes, they are actually your colleagues, and they do notice. Punch up. The CEO will laugh too, and he can take it.

If he can't, you really want to change jobs anyway.

Show threadPhil SherryMay 23, 2023
@dymaxion I’m employed by a company that has a woman in the CEO chair. She’d laugh and she’d take it, but I’d still mostly pick on men in middle management because I’m 100% never going to be speaking in the same room as her.
Show threadEleanor Saitta
@philsherry
Yeah, there are caveats — I'd absolutely avoid it in that case, but you can always use your CTO instead if they're a white dude. :-)
May 23, 2023 at 12:44pmWeb
Show threadsimpleMay 24, 2023
@dymaxion
What does being a white dude have to do with being able to take a joke on not having good technical skills? You think other people are not able to take a joke? And why punch anywhere (up or down, left or right) anyway?
@philsherry
Show threadEleanor SaittaMay 24, 2023
@simple
Because they've got the social privilege to do it without it reflecting on everyone else who looks like them. And shockingly, this isn't a complete guide to how to speak well in public. I'm suggesting folks punch up because a lot of folks seem like they need to punch someone in their talks, not because it's a good idea
@philsherry