We’ve all heard the term “data literacy” by now. Although there is general consensus regarding the importance of knowing how to read, write, and communicate with data, some folks may take issue with the term itself. Wendy Batchelder, CDO at Salesforce, wants to reframe the conversation and focus on how people can leverage data to do their jobs better.

Wendy is a technology executive who has spent her career tackling business problems with technical solutions and transforming diverse team members into leaders. In her current role at Salesforce, Wendy is helping the right people access the right data at the right time — with the right controls. In this episode, Satyen and Wendy discuss the problems with data literacy training, the power of answering “so what?” questions, and the value of advocating for DEI in tech.

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“You have to drop the jargon and get down to what are you trying to explain? If you're trying to help people to use more data for decision making, then just introduce the data. Don't sit down and say, ‘We're gonna talk about data literacy,’ because everyone's eyes gloss over and you lose their interest and their attention. It just doesn't give you a lot of respect. Part of our job as data experts is to help people to use data better and that's the conversation that should be had. But, the second you say things like data literacy, the tone of the conversation totally shifts.” – Wendy Batchelder