Last week, the piece we built with DDI premiered at the ATD conference in Washington, DC. There were reports of at least two people crying because the piece stuck such a nerve, but beyond that, it was a follow-up report that made us happiest. A few months ago, when we were user-testing the piece, a manager came in skeptical and walked out a convert, saying "that wasn't a conversation, that was an emotional experience." While we've so far resisted the urge to get that made into a t-shirt, we might have to in the wake of the following story. A few weeks later he came back, and said that as a result of the piece, he made sure to call on the same number of men and women in meetings he led, and pay close attention to who was speaking more and give women the opportunity to speak if he felt they weren't being heard.
Now, this is just one manager, but this still thrilled us. There are tons of stats about how effective VR is for training and changing behavior, but it is stories like this that really move the needle. Imagine this type of change at scale, and the profound impact it could have on making the workplace a more equitable and caring place.
If you want to start making a difference, let us know. We're looking for partners so we can make amazing work together
In the meantime, we're heads down on a massive project we'll be able to share later this fall, so that means fewer public speaking engagements. Our fantastic sales lead Louisa Spring will be at Augmented World Expo this week -- let us know if you'd like to meet with her for a demo or a chat. Cortney will be at R Lab Well in Brooklyn June 4 and 5, and will be leading a session on user design in VR. We are also offering a limited number of workshops for clients who need some help getting started in the space; feel free to reach out for more info.