In this session, we'll focus on an algorithmic approach to speaking authoritatively and authentically by identifying "word smells" and learning new "sentence patterns." This approach fuses together over a decade of Wendy's software experience with the basics of executive coaching and mixes in over 1000 hours of her training in mindful practices.

You will walk away with concrete steps that will get you in the habit of not only winning friends and influencing people, but improving your career. Back in 1936 Dale Carnegie's research deemed that regardless of domain, our ability to communicate accounts for 85% of our career growth. While technology and the Internet have given us new ways to communicate, they have not reduced its value. If anything, the abstraction they add has increased its importance.

Software runs so much of the world, yet we, its creators, have so little influence. If we invest 10% of what goes into creating eloquence in our programming language into our spoken language, we would dramatically shift our power. While Carnegie's book and many others contain valuable ideas and philosophies, developers think algorithmically and we need strategies rooted in logic and clear rules.