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Ask Slashdot: Communication Skills For Programmers?
An anonymous reader writes "As a new developer at a young-ish software company, I've been told my communication skills need some work. I'm not painfully introverted or socially inept, but I get lost in my work and only contact people if I need something from them or they ask me a question. Traditional advice isn't relevant to casual, less hierarchical companies — I don't have to hold my tongue when someone is wrong or worry about formalities. But I do need to connect with people professionally, since my team members and managers decide my perf and advancement. How do you keep colleagues abreast of your work without having exponentially many needless conversations?"
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If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
Did the person who told you this give you any more detail? Are you not engaging often enough, or are you not good at explaining yourself and listening during the times when you are engaged in conversation? The former is partly a matter of being friendly/comfortable with the people you're around. The latter is critical thinking -- what do I understand, what do they understand, will this choice of words be interpreted how I want, etc.
Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
Communication is a two way thing...your goal should be as much to find out about what others are doing as it is to inform them. Ask what they are doing, listen, then you can relate your similar experiences in response. Ask for advice or confirmation of ideas...people love to be asked to provide advice, and they'll gladly listen to what you are doing in order to be able to fulfill that desire.
>Too often "communication" translates to "you are not my drinking buddy".
It can also mean don't be an introverted dork who's only there to work. People will dislike you if you only communicate with them when you need something.
Source: I was once an introverted dork, but got medicated for my social-dysfunction, and am now an outgoing person who gets along well with co-workers.
I think you cover a some important aspects, but I do have a couple things to add.
Communications can not only be lacking, but contain too much information. I had a manager long ago that told me to use Word's grammar check and don't produce anything over an 8th grade reading level when communications were going to non-technical staff. He also told me to limit emails to one topic, even dealing with technical issues, so that people could not confuse issues. That has turned out to be very sage advice in my career, and I have since adapted my own style for technical emails where management is included. I add technical notes after my signature, and in the summary email I tell people to review "technical details" if they need or desire the technical details. That habit saves me writing two emails for everything, but does not confuse the non-technical people.
Something else I do with certain management types is to simply set a reminder to send out a periodic status update on large projects. If you have your head buried in your work, but nobody is aware of what you are doing, you are not seen as really working. A very simple status message helps people gain and keep confidence in your work ethics.
Lastly, periodically ask for assistance with small things. Even if you don't need the assistance, it lets people know you are there and working for a "team" as opposed to being the guy with the "Red Stapler".
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
I agree. Many people believe that "talking" is the same as "communicating". And because they've been talking since they were 2 or 3 or whatever that means that they are good at "communicating".
And you can be a complete extrovert and have terrible communication skills.
One of the problems that isn't being discussed is that in order for communication to happen, both parties have to participate. That means that party A has to be willing to listen and understand what party B is communicating. You may be familiar with either or both of these phrases:
1. It isn't what you said, it's how you said it.
2. It isn't what was said, it's who was saying it.
Are you "communicating" that the project will be late and over budget? But the manager is hearing that he's not going to be getting a bonus and the next promotion will probably be going to someone else which means he won't be able to buy a bigger house with a swimming pool in time for his daughter to have a pool party for her 16th birthday ... why do you hate his daughter?!?
The unstated assumption being that the person higher in the hierarchy has more/better communication skills than the person lower in the hierarchy.
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Just to put the discussion back on track, as an engineer I find communications to be my most difficult challenge. I hold meeting, issue reports, and make sure to talk privately with everyone involved in my projects. Despite a strong concerted effort I still find people under or miss informed. No amount of communication is too much, I'm not sure any amount is sufficient.
The reason we subjugate ourselves to law is to better procure justice. If law does not accomplish this purpose then it m