Speaking – Matt Wallaert

I believe that speaking is an incredibly important part of how knowledge is shared in the world. It has survived millennia and countless educational revolutions because there is nothing quite like hearing someone both knowledgeable and passionate about a topic. Having given hundreds of talks, I still find it energizing.

I do not accept speaker fees. While I do not begrudge others who make their living as speakers, I choose to make my living as an applied behavioral scientist and I have no intention of changing that. You can pay for travel and buy me a Diet Coke (with a lime!) and some nachos or a gift for my son Bear. If speaker fees are a part of your event, I’d ask that you donate to VIP Mujeres or a similar domestic violence program in your area; to date, we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to combat this systemic problem and more is always needed.

I mostly talk about applied behavior science. Specifically, that means “behavior as an outcome, science as a method”, in an applied process used to creating products and programs that change behavior and how we do that, at scale, in organizations. Outside of that, special topics include gender equity and inclusion (because of my work on GetRaised, SalaryOrEquity, etc.), entrepreneurism, and the powerful and important place that work plays in our lives and in our mental health.

You do not have to use a booking agency. If you want me to speak, please send a brief email to team@mattwallaert.com detailing the topic you’re interested in, the dates, times, and location. I select based on schedule, how recently I’ve given a talk in that region, and the diversity of other speakers.

Speaker diversity is incredibly important. If you claim to be selecting speakers on merit and still end up with an overrepresentation of white males, you are implicitly saying you believe that white men are simply better than others. I don’t believe that and suspect you don’t either. So if you are looking for alternates on topics I tend to speak about, please consider Neela Saldenha or Aline Holzwarth on applied behavior change generally, Stephanie Habif or Gina Merchant on behavioral change specifically in health, and Aubrey Blanche or Haile Owasu on the role of men in increasing gender equity.

Bio

For almost 20 years, Matt Wallaert has been applying behavioral science to practical problems. After leaving academia, his career as an executive lead from startups (Thrive, Churnless) to the Fortune 500 (Microsoft, CapGemini) and back again, before founding BeSci.io (Behavioral Science in organizations), where he and the world’s most experienced behavioral science leaders help companies grow applied behavioral science capabilities within their organizations.

In his book Start At The End and other writings, as well as hundreds of talks from the UN to SXSW, Wallaert details how the cycle of behavioral strategy, insights, design, and evaluation can help us build products and services that change behavior. From the janitor to the CEO, his approachable frameworks show how everyone can incorporate behavioral science into what they do, no PhD required.

Wallaert’s side projects consistently focus on creating greater equity in the world, like GetRaised, which has helped underpaid women ask for and earn over $3.6B in salary increases, and his research reports, like MediocreWhiteMen, blend humor and science to help work toward change. He can usually be found wearing cowboy boots and gesturing wildly – say hi on Twitter @mattwallaert.

Sample Talk: Designing for Behavior Change

Competing Pressures: Designing for Behavior Change

When we build products, we often have very specific behavioral goals in mind, things we want users not just to think and feel but actually do. And yet our design process so rarely takes what we know about changing behaviors into account. Join behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert as he talks about how the cycle of behavioral strategy, insights, design, and impact evaluation can help us build products and services that change behavior.

Sample Talk: Uniqueness and Belonging

Snowflakes in a Blizzard: Uniqueness, Belonging, and marketing to the individual

If users don’t feel special and unique, they tend to get unhappy. At the same time, they need to feel like they are part of a group and have things in common with other people. In this talk, behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert lays out some of the psychological theory behind how we form our identities and the role that products play in reinforcing identities with brands, goods, and services.

Sample Talk: Building a BeSci Team

Behavioral Science In Organizations: How to build a team and what to do with it

Many organizations have recognized the need to incorporate behavioral science in their work, as a replacement to traditional Innovation teams. But how do you actually do that? Is it a centralized team or a network of embedded scientists? Who do you hire? How do you derive value? How do you support them? Join one of the most experienced behavioral scientists in industry as he walks you through the various models, their risks and advantages, and what he believes works best and why.

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