Is it just me, or is April turning out to be a complete stinker? The rain hasn't stopped, it's cold, and it feels more like October or November than it does at the start of spring. This feeling appears to be pervading work at the moment, too—I sense frustration bubbling under at every turn. We need some warm sunshine and a few days off before heading back to the grind.

I have a short trip coming up and a few things to look forward to not least the just-announced Fast Flow Conference in London in September.

As you might know, I'm not a big fan of conferences in general. I tend to love the idea more than I enjoy the outcomes. Last year, I spoke at a few, and I planned to speak at a lot more this year but I realised that the thought of speaking gave me a creeping dread. I did the "Would you do it tomorrow?" test on my speaking engagements. In other words, ask yourself if you would do the 'thing' tomorrow and gauge your body's reaction to thought. My stomach did a flip which led me to cancel all the engagements. The only emotion I felt at that decision was relief.

On top of that, conferences are difficult to get right. In a white, middle-class, male-dominated industry, if I speak I'm just adding to the problem. We need to champion diversity and inclusion within our industry events in order for our growing communities to stay welcoming, neurologically diverse, and, most importantly, relevant. The cornerstone of humane software development has to be inclusivity, and this should be evident from the daily scrum right up to the conference level.

Conferences are important opportunities to test our beliefs. Therefore whether you're attending or speaking, make sure you check out the DEI policies of the event and ensure that your talk is going to contribute to a discussion.

One thing I've learned in the last few weeks, months and years is that sometimes it's better to spend a little longer thinking about something before opening your mouth. Have a great Sunday.

-- Richard

​Missing The Social Cues – When The Tools Do The Talking ​

Published on April 20, 2024

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