Effective communication in software engineering with actionable insights from real-world experience. Learn how to transition from merely acknowledging problems to driving impactful solutions
Curiosity is another successful communication strategy. Avoid 'why' as it comes across as too accusatory, almost like a parent scolding a child. Focus on the other W's (who, what, where and when) as well as how. Then it's just a process of learning from others. Open-ended questions lead to wonderful directions, often resulting in more cohesion.
Being someone who takes action is a fantastic trait to have. I know you'd like to fix everything you encounter, but I learned not to jump into coding for two reasons:
- Opening an issue (or looking for an existing one) can save you from double-work and spending time on something someone else has already started.
- Others can chime in. Maybe they have a different perspective on solving the bug, or perhaps it's a side effect of a more serious issue.
Taking action shouldn't mean jumping directly to solve it yourself. But starting to take steps toward solving things.
This could mean setting up a quick meeting to sync with the team and decide the path forward. That's more actionable than dwelling on complaining that something broke
Thanks for sharing, Akos. It helps to get a better understanding of what "actionable" means :)
Curiosity is another successful communication strategy. Avoid 'why' as it comes across as too accusatory, almost like a parent scolding a child. Focus on the other W's (who, what, where and when) as well as how. Then it's just a process of learning from others. Open-ended questions lead to wonderful directions, often resulting in more cohesion.
I agree with open-ended questions, we need to get the other person talking, not just a yes/no response.
People feel better when they feel listened, like the saying goes, that's why we have 2 ears and 1 mouth :)
Excellent advice, Fran!
Being someone who takes action is a fantastic trait to have. I know you'd like to fix everything you encounter, but I learned not to jump into coding for two reasons:
- Opening an issue (or looking for an existing one) can save you from double-work and spending time on something someone else has already started.
- Others can chime in. Maybe they have a different perspective on solving the bug, or perhaps it's a side effect of a more serious issue.
Taking action is great, but also talk about it!
Of course!
Taking action shouldn't mean jumping directly to solve it yourself. But starting to take steps toward solving things.
This could mean setting up a quick meeting to sync with the team and decide the path forward. That's more actionable than dwelling on complaining that something broke
Thanks for sharing, Akos. It helps to get a better understanding of what "actionable" means :)
Thanks for mentioning Hungry Minds!!
Always my friend 🤝
“I developed the motto of asking myself: “What’s the path to green here?”” - love this!!