The Unuttered, and the Unaware: Unconscious Biases Are you judging people so quickly?  “Bias is a natural byproduct of the way our brains work” - Jennifer Eberhardt. Probably everyone would have heard about the word “bias” - inclination towards someone or something.  Every day we are bombarded with information overflow. Somewhere it’s stored in the brain. Our brains are designed in a way to consider the prior experiences (both good and bad) and to act or decide on the current situations.  What are the negative aspects this biasing could bring? How does this biasing is affecting Testers and the Test Leads? How does it affect the hiring process? How does it affect your teams and the people around you? Seems interesting right. Let’s explore a few biases together. Learning more about it helps to defeat it and helps to build diversity and inclusion into your personal and professional life.  We can learn to stop being judgemental and make this world a better place for everyone. Key takeaways: Learning about biases, types of biases, and how it impacts people and business Gaining a greater sense of self-awareness about Unconscious biases, and improving the ability to make conscious choices Steps/actions to new behaviors that positively impact and to keep a check on it Strategies to be more empathetic and compassionate toward others

1. THE UNUTTERED,
AND THE
UNAWARE:
UNCONSCIOUS
BIASES

2. Disclaimer
The opinions expressed are solely those of
the author, and the goal of this
presentation is to increase awareness of
inclusion and diversity. The language used
is not meant to be disrespectful to
anyone's sentiments or situation.

3. INTRODUCTION TO BIASES
MORE ABOUT UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
WHY SHOULD TESTERS BE CONSCIOUS OF
UNCONSCIOUS BIASES?
HOW THIS BIASING AFFECTS US?
HOW TO WORK ON IT?
Q&A
TODAY'S AGENDA
@pricillabelwin

4. HELLO! I AM,
Team Leader, Billennium IT Services
(M) Sdn. Bhd.
Thank you for having me today.
Pricilla
Bilavendran
@pricillabelwin

5. Get to Know Me
I live in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
I am from Madurai,India.
@pricillabelwin

6. Fun Facts
About Me
I LOVE BIRIYANI
I ENJOY TRAVELLING, MEETING
NEW PEOPLE, AND EXPERIENCING
DIFFERENT CUISINES.
1
2
3 I CAN RECOGNISE ALMOST ANY
NATION'S FLAG AND CAR BRAND.
@pricillabelwin

7. Calm
Down
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your jaw, and
exhale.
Keep your eyes closed.
Arms should be relaxed.
Let it go, whatever it is.

9. a strong feeling of favour towards or
against one group of people
01
an interest in one thing more than others
02
WHAT IS A BIAS?
@pricillabelwin

10. @pricillabelwin
11 million pieces of
information/sec
Human brains could
handle only 40 pieces of
information each second

11. TYPES OF BIASES
Explicit Bias
Attitudes and behaviors are conscious
processes
Negative behaviors
CONSCIOUS
BIAS
Implicit Bias
Thoughts and attitudes that are beyond a
person's awareness and control
UNCONSCIOUS
BIAS
@pricillabelwin

12. Unconscious Bias is a snap judgment or mental shortcut.
Humans unconsciously make assumptions based on
limited information
MORE ABOUT
UNCONSCIOUS BIASES
@pricillabelwin

13. TYPES OF UNCONSCIOUS
BIASES

14. AFFINITY BIAS
People who share similar characteristics or qualities

15. CONFIRMATION BIAS
People tend to seek information that confirms their beliefs

16. BEAUTY BIAS
Beauty bias is a preference for people we find more attractive

17. GENDER BIAS
Against or toward someone based on their gender

18. THE HALO EFFECT
Overall impression influences your decision

19. HOW THIS BIASING AFFECTS US?
@pricillabelwin
64% experienced some form of bias in the last 12 months (83% is
indirect)
68% of respondents had a negative effect on their productivity
70% believed the biases affected their engagement at work
84% said that bias negatively affected their happiness,
confidence, and well-being
Out of that,
Some Findings from Deloitte’s 2019 State of Inclusion Report

20. WHY SHOULD TESTERS BE
AWARE OF THESE BIASES?
@pricillabelwin
Affects the quality of Testing
Affects Team Cohesion
Lowers emotional engagement
Impacts Client satisfaction
Potentially losing a prospective employee

21. I think every leader has to be
willing to examine their own
biases.
-Maya Wiley

22. HOW TO WORK ON IT?

23. Explore more on Unconscious biases

24. Slow down while deciding

25. Self Reflection

26. Train your Team

27. RECAP!!
UNDERSTANDING
BIASES
WHY YOU
SHOULDN'T HOLD
THOSE BIASES
TYPES OF
BIASES
STARTING THE
CHANGE FROM
YOU
@pricillabelwin

28. PLEASE SEE THIS VIDEO
@pricillabelwin

29. I'm so happy to be here
to meet all of you!
Do you have any questions for me?
@pricillabelwin

30. Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
Presentation template by SlidesCarnival and Canva
Photographs by Unsplash
Images by Freepik