Preventing, Diagnosing & Curing Bad Data

Data insights can only be as good as the quality of the data they’re based on. Inaccuracies and biases in your data can result in costly mistakes. In this talk, I highlight the typical lifecycle of data and the phases where bad data sneaks in. I also cover ways to prevent, diagnose & fix issues.

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Businesses rely on good data to make thoughtful decisions. When that underlying data is of poor quality, it can lead to unexpected and costly outcomes. Thus, it is very important to prevent bad data from occurring in the first place, by understanding how it gets created. In this talk, I will explain the typical lifecycle of data, and walk through the phases where bad data gets introduced. Using relatable examples, I will explain the nuances of catching bad data early in the pipeline. I’ll also cover ways to diagnose common data problems, to find the root cause, and highlight ways to fix those issues. The talk provides a blueprint for anyone who works with data, to be proactive and intentional about prioritizing data quality.

To some it up, my key takeaways from the talk will include:
1) What is bad data and why should we care about fixing it?
2) How can we prevent bad data from occurring?
3) How can we diagnose conditions that resemble poor data quality?
4) How can we cure and fix bad data?

I have seen data at scale and all the products I’ve worked on had at least 40M+ users. Thus I’ve seen the impact of what bad data can do. Over the years, I’ve developed a robust framework to narrow down data issues quickly so that they can be fixed. I’ve also developed policies around checking for bias in data, that will help businesses be more thoughtful in their data solutions.

I have given plenty of variations of this talk, and just in the last year 2 of those sessions were billed as keynotes. I am able to adapt this talk to a more technical overview, a more business overview, or a mix of both depending on the audience.

Mastering Self-Advocacy: A Blueprint

In the modern workplace, self-advocacy is the cornerstone of success. This session unveils a pragmatic blueprint for honing your self-advocacy prowess, delivering benefits for your personal growth. Learn about what self-advocacy skills can unlock for you, the ways to reframe limiting beliefs, and tactical ways to frame wins in a way that leads to your desired outcomes. Break free from self-doubt, seize the reins of your potential, and sculpt a future brimming with accomplishments and empowerment.

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This topic is great if you want to enable high-ownership attendees equipped with self-advocacy skills.

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The audience will leave with:
- An in-depth understanding of self-advocacy and its importance for career & business success
- Tools to reframe limiting beliefs around advocacy
- A framework to strategically unleash your authentic voice for your self-interest
- An actionable set of advocacy challenges to hold yourself accountable and practice your skills

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I am the author of the book "Self-Advocacy: Your Guide to Getting What You Deserve at Work". I have spoken on this topic, given workshops, and mentored 300+ people over the last 4 years in corporate, conference, and 1-1 settings. This topic is popular with technologists, women, underrepresented groups, early career professionals, and anyone who wants to get better at self-advocacy. I have a separate topic aimed specifically at leaders who want to normalize and encourage self-advocacy on their teams.

At technical conferences, this topic provides a nice balance from all the other talks - since everyone attending a conference is ultimately there to learn and progress in their career. I am able to customize this talk a little bit to include specific examples that are relevant to the niche audience group and can accommodate such requests. I have a version of this talk aimed at senior career professionals, as well as people who are in leadership roles.

Professionally, I am a woman of color in tech who has twice been the Head of Data & Analytics at startups. My professional success was not possible without explicit self-advocacy, something that I initially found hard to do due to my cultural and gendered bias. It has taken a lot of learning and unlearning to get to where I am today, and I want to share those learnings with people who can benefit from it.

Empowering Teams: The Self-Advocacy Revolution

Discover the keys to business triumph by empowering and aligning your workforce. In this session, I unveil a straightforward framework for bolstering self-advocacy skills within your team, promising enhanced results for your business. Explore the transformative potential of normalizing self-advocacy, cultivate a resilient team dynamic, and proactively mitigate business risks while gaining profound insights into your team's motivations. Unleash your organization's full potential by fostering enhanced psychological safety, and witness the substantial benefits it bestows upon your business output.

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This topic is great if you want to build psychologically safe & high advocacy cultures.

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The audience will leave with:
- An in-depth understanding of self-advocacy and why teams that hone that skill succeed
- Tools to understand and reframe the challenges your team faces in advocating for themselves
- A framework to create personalized blueprints that can help individuals unleash their authentic voice
- An actionable execution plan for you as well as your team
- Accountability and success measurement tactics

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I am the author of the book "Self-Advocacy: Your Guide to Getting What You Deserve at Work". I have spoken on this topic, given workshops, and mentored 300+ people over the last 4 years in corporate, conference, and 1-1 settings. This topic is popular with members of the C-suite, senior leaders, department heads, managers, Employee Resource Group (ERG) leads, or leads of other interest groups. I have a separate topic aimed specifically at individuals who want to develop their own self-advocacy skills.

At technical conferences, this topic provides a nice balance from all the other talks - since everyone attending a conference is ultimately there to learn and progress in their career. I am able to customize this talk a little bit to include specific examples that are relevant to the niche audience group and can accommodate such requests. I have a version of this talk aimed at senior career professionals, as well as people who are in leadership roles.

Professionally, I am a woman of color in tech who has twice been the Head of Data & Analytics at startups. My professional success was not possible without explicit self-advocacy, something that I initially found hard to do due to my cultural and gendered bias. It has taken a lot of learning and unlearning to get to where I am today, and I want to share those learnings with people who can benefit from it.