Ijeoma Oluo

Thinker
A person holding a microphone speaks while seated on a stage, wearing a dark, sparkly top and black pants. The background is black, and there is another seat next to them.

So You Want To Talk About Race

Intro

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, the rise of anti-racism, and the Black Lives Matter movement, it has become more commonplace to have conversations about race and racism. However, this was not always the case, and still today, many people feel incredibly uncomfortable having difficult conversations about race.

The Nigerian-American writer Ijeoma Oluo knows that conversations surrounding racism, sexism, and discrimination are uneasy and imperfect; but that is exactly why she urges people to have them.1 Oluo is most well known for her book So You Want To Talk About Race, a guide full of tools and techniques for how to approach conversations surrounding intersectionality, race, gender, and discrimination.2

Since Oluo turned to writing in her mid-30s, she has accumulated an impressive repertoire of articles that tackle topics such as misogyny, feminism, harassment, white supremacy, and minority representation. She is also a speaker and a self-proclaimed “internet yeller,” dedicated to having the conversations people are too afraid to begin themselves.

Being privileged doesn’t mean that you are always wrong and people without privilege are always right. It means that there is a good chance you are missing a few very important pieces of the puzzle.


- Ijeoma Oluo in her book So You Want To Talk About Race3

About the Authors

A man in a blue, striped shirt smiles while standing indoors, surrounded by green plants and modern office decor.

Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

A smiling man stands in an office, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, with plants and glass-walled rooms in the background.

Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

About us

We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy

Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations

Image

I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.

Heather McKee

BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST

GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT

OUR CLIENT SUCCESS

$0M

Annual Revenue Increase

By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.

0%

Increase in Monthly Users

By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.

0%

Reduction In Design Time

By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.

0%

Reduction in Client Drop-Off

By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%

Read Next

Notes illustration

Eager to learn about how behavioral science can help your organization?