Designing confidence workshop UXPA DC - September 26, 2015

#ImpSyn

Designing Confidence:A Workshop for Dealing with

Impostor Syndrome

Lori Widelitz-Cavallucci Amy Silvers

UXPA DC September 26, 2015

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• Take Our Survey: http://goo.gl/VeYzId

• Collaborate on our wiki: https://sites.google.com/site/designingconfidence/welcome

• Email us: [email protected]

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@lwcavallucci

@A_Silvers

#DesignConfidence

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My co-workers

Me

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Impostor Syndrome was first described by the psychologist Pauline Clance, and she and her colleague Suzanne Imes did a pioneering study in 1978 in which they talked to women in academia about their perceptions of their own qualifications, abilities, and successes. Lori will talk more about Dr. Clance, but I want to cite one quote from that study that really stood out to me.

“I feel like that every day.”

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“Impostor Phenomenon designates an internal experience of intellectual phoniness.”

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“I’m not as capable as people think I am.”

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Any praise and recognition leads to discounting the success.

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“My success is due to luck and nothing else.”

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Outperform

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Avoid

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29%$

50%$

21%$

"I$can$give$the$impression$that$I'm$more$competent$than$I$really$am."$$

Does$this$statement$describe$you?$

Yes,%this%describes%me%accurately.%%This%might%describe%me%at%5mes.%No,%this%doesn't%describe%me.%

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45#

27#

25#

Have#you#ever#worried#that#people#will#stop#respec7ng#you#or#think#less#of#you#once#they#

get#to#know#you#and#see#your#work?#

Yes,%I've%worried%about%that.%

I%haven't%worried%about%that%exactly,%but%I've%felt%something%similar.%%

No,%I've%never%worried%about%that.%

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“There are no information architects. There are no interaction designers. There are only, and only ever have been, user experience designers.”

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What's the worst thing that can happen?

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Don't equate expertise with infallibility. We can

be both.

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Oops!

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We only see what others want us to see, including

insecurities and fears.

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Behaviors = changeable

Attributes not changeable

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"just"

"only"

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Get one!

Be one!

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–Steven Ungerleider, Ph.D.

“…research shows that athletes who envision themselves performing well throughout the day

tend to have these positive visions at night

…reinforcing the image of success in their brains.”

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You can’t get rid of negative thoughts, but you can make them powerless.

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We are all in this together.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

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- Amanda Palmer from The Art of Asking

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Habit Loop

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Story Arc

Current State

Exposition

Inciting Incident or Complication

Rising Action

Crisis Climax

Falling Actionor Denouement

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Story Arc

Example of Current State

Interviewing for a new job, feeling positive about how interviews went

Receiving rejections from the interviews &

feeling like a fraud

Raging Impostor Syndrome

I can’t do this job and must not have any talent as a designer

otherwise these interviews would have better outcomes - feels like giving up

Fighting to prove these feelings wrong

This is “effing” hard!!!

Where do you go from here????

(You’ll create this in your Future State)

Future State: What’s the reward?

Future State: This is where you will

overcome

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Story Arc

Future (Desired) State

Exposition

Inciting Incident or Complication

Rising Action

Crisis Climax

Falling Actionor Denouement

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“What happens when Impostor Syndrome takes over?”

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Exercise: Muscle memory and identifying triggers

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“He who has a why can endure any how.”

Frederick Nietzche

#ImpSynFind Your Purpose

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—Neghar Fonooni

Recognize that it's just a story, and that the next few thoughts can be spent letting go of the story,

rather than adding to its elements. This is an opportunity for growth and a chance to let go of

the stories that are weighing you down.

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Exercise: Rewrite the Story—

Or Reject It

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A Final Thought

“The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: ‘I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.”—Tina Fey

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Thanks for participating!

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• Take Our Survey: http://goo.gl/VeYzId

• Collaborate on our wiki: https://sites.google.com/site/designingconfidence/welcome

• Hear a UX Podcast discussion we did: http://uxpodcast.com/106-imposter-syndrome-interview-amy-silvers-lori-cavallucci/

• Email us: [email protected]