AgileByExample 2016

Marcin joined Google in 2007, initially working on GMail, including the Priority Inbox feature, before co-founding (with four others) the Travel team in Zurich in 2009. After first working on Hotel Finder, from 2010-14 Marcin led the front-end engineering team for Google Flight Search. Since 2014 he’s been the lead engineer & manager for Conversational Travel.

Social skills for introverts

Nobody is born with great social skills. We acquire them as we grow up and perfect over years of interactions with other people. Introverts—an overwhelming majority of software engineers and engineering managers—are here at a disadvantage.

In my talk I will show an easy framework (almost a step by step guide) for handling three difficult social situations: starting a conversation with a person you’ve never met, joining a conversation of people you don’t know and handling an uncomfortable meeting one on one (e.g. unhappy manager or angry customer).

Video

Workshop—Social skills for introverts

Nobody is born with great social skills. We acquire them as we grow up and perfect over years of interactions with other people. Introverts—an overwhelming majority of software engineers and engineering managers—are here at a disadvantage.

In the workshop I will present an easy framework (almost a step by step guide) for handling three difficult social situations: starting a conversation with a person you’ve never met, joining a conversation of people you don’t know and handling an uncomfortable meeting one on one (e.g. unhappy manager or angry customer).

The participants will be able to practice the framework in a few practical tasks.