How to Communicate as a Software Developer
Summary
TLDRThis video emphasizes the importance of communication for software developers, highlighting that effective communication distinguishes senior engineers from others. It covers three key aspects: proactive communication, constructive communication, and asynchronous versus live communication. Proactive communication involves setting clear expectations and clarifying tasks. Constructive communication, often occurring in code reviews, should be nuanced and question-driven. Lastly, the video discusses when to use live versus async communication, noting that live interactions are better for complex topics and pairing, while async communication suits most other needs. The video concludes with a call to subscribe for more software engineering and career development content.
Takeaways
- 💬 Communication is crucial for software developers, especially in teams.
- 📅 Proactive communication involves setting clear expectations and anticipating potential issues.
- 🛠️ Proactive communication includes logistical updates and code-related notifications.
- 🔍 Clarifying questions before starting work is an aspect of proactive communication.
- 🗣️ Constructive communication is essential in pull requests and helps in team growth.
- ❓ Asking questions in pull requests can make feedback more palatable and effective.
- 🌟 Indirect statements can also be used to provide feedback without being too abrasive.
- 🔄 Live communication, like Zoom calls, is better for pairing and explaining complex topics.
- 📧 Asynchronous communication, like Slack or email, is better for less immediate discussions.
- 🤝 Ultimately, the balance between live and async communication depends on team culture and individual preferences.
Q & A
Why is communication important for software developers?
-Communication is crucial for software developers because it separates senior engineers from others. It helps in working effectively within teams and ensures better collaboration and understanding of project goals.
What are the three types of communication mentioned in the script?
-The three types of communication mentioned are proactive communication, constructive communication, and asynchronous versus live communication.
What is proactive communication and why is it important?
-Proactive communication involves setting expectations within the team and thinking ahead about potential issues. It is important because it helps in mitigating challenges and ensures that everyone is on the same page.
Can you provide examples of proactive communication?
-Examples of proactive communication include informing the team about your availability (e.g., being away from the computer), clarifying doubts before starting a task, and alerting the team about potential issues or necessary actions (e.g., running migrations).
What is constructive communication in the context of software development?
-Constructive communication in software development refers to providing feedback in a way that is helpful and non-abrasive. It often occurs in pull requests and focuses on asking questions or making indirect statements to guide and teach team members.
How can developers provide constructive feedback effectively?
-Developers can provide constructive feedback effectively by asking questions to understand the thought process, making indirect statements to highlight concerns, and ensuring their feedback is not too blunt or harsh.
What are the benefits of using questions in constructive communication?
-Using questions in constructive communication helps in getting the other person’s perspective, clarifying doubts, and avoiding misunderstandings. It also allows for a more collaborative and less confrontational approach to feedback.
When is live communication preferred over asynchronous communication?
-Live communication is preferred for pairing, explaining complicated topics, ensuring proper tone, and quick back-and-forth discussions. It is particularly useful when the conversation requires immediate feedback and nuanced understanding.
What are the advantages of asynchronous communication?
-Asynchronous communication, like using Slack or email, is better for tasks that do not require immediate feedback. It allows people to work at their own pace, helps in documenting discussions, and is suitable for those who prefer less frequent meetings.
How should teams decide between live and asynchronous communication?
-Teams should decide between live and asynchronous communication based on their culture and the specific needs of the situation. They should follow the team’s established practices unless there is a clear and better way to handle communication.
Outlines
🗣️ The Importance of Communication for Software Developers
In this opening paragraph, the speaker emphasizes the significance of communication skills for software developers. It's noted that effective communication distinguishes senior engineers from others. The common misconception that development is a solitary activity is addressed, highlighting the team-oriented nature of most software development projects. The speaker introduces the three main topics to be covered: proactive communication, constructive communication, and asynchronous versus live communication.
🔍 Understanding Proactive Communication
Proactive communication involves setting clear expectations within a team. This includes logistical updates, code-related notifications, and clarifying doubts before starting tasks. The speaker stresses the importance of anticipating potential challenges and addressing them early. By ensuring that everyone is on the same page, proactive communication fosters better teamwork and efficiency.
👥 Constructive Communication in Code Reviews
Constructive communication, primarily occurring in pull requests, serves as a teaching tool and helps elevate the team. The speaker advises against blunt feedback and suggests a more nuanced approach through questions and indirect statements. This method encourages collaboration and understanding, making the feedback process less abrasive and more productive.
💬 Asynchronous vs. Live Communication
The speaker compares asynchronous communication (e.g., Slack, email) with live communication (e.g., Zoom, in-person meetings). While acknowledging a preference for asynchronous methods, the speaker concedes that live communication is often better for pairing, explaining complex topics, and maintaining the right tone. The choice between the two depends on team culture and the specific context of the communication.
🔚 Conclusion and Channel Promotion
In the final paragraph, the speaker recaps the importance of communication for developers and encourages viewers to implement the discussed strategies. The speaker also promotes the channel, which focuses on software engineering and career development, and invites viewers to subscribe. The video ends with a motivational message: 'Stay hungry, stay curious.'
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Proactive communication
💡Constructive communication
💡Asynchronous communication
💡Live communication
💡Team collaboration
💡Expectations
💡Code reviews
💡Feedback
💡Pair programming
💡Nuance
Highlights
Communication is crucial for software developers, especially in teams.
Proactive communication involves setting expectations and thinking ahead about potential challenges.
Examples of proactive communication include notifying the team about being away from the computer and clarifying tasks before starting.
Constructive communication often takes place in pull requests and involves providing feedback in a nuanced way.
Asking questions in pull requests can make feedback more palatable and encourage open discussion.
Indirect statements in feedback can help avoid being abrasive while still voicing concerns.
Live communication is better for activities like pair programming and explaining complex topics.
Live communication allows for better tone conveyance and quicker back-and-forth interactions.
Asynchronous communication, such as Slack or email, is suitable for most other interactions.
Team culture and individual preferences play a significant role in choosing between async and live communication.
Effective communication can distinguish senior engineers from others and enhance team collaboration.
Proactive communication includes logistics and code-related updates, aiming to mitigate potential issues.
Constructive communication should be used as a teaching tool to level up the team.
Developers should avoid blunt feedback and strive for a more nuanced approach.
Finding the right balance between async and live communication depends on the team's needs and the nature of the task.
Transcripts
everyone welcome back to the channel
today we're going to talk about how to
communicate as a software developer and
i know what you might be thinking what
the heck does this have to do with
engineering but the truth is that
communication is one of the things that
separates senior engineers from
everybody else and if you can do this
well it will really set you apart it's
easy to think that being a developer is
just about writing code alone in a dark
room but the truth is that most software
development is done on teams and because
it's done on teams communicating within
your team is of the utmost importance
all right so i'm going to talk about
three things proactive communication
constructive communication and
asynchronous versus live communication
so let's go ahead and get into it so
proactive communication is pretty much
what it sounds like and for me proactive
communication comes down to setting
expectations within your team for me
proactive communication can encompass a
lot of things so it can encompass
logistics so saying stuff like hey
everyone i'm going to be away from my
computer for an hour all the way up to
things related to the code so for
example hey devs everyone needs to run
migrations or watch out for this bug and
this part of the application but i'm
fixing it stuff like that proactive
communication can also be clarifying
things before you start on work so let's
say you take a ticket from the backlog
and as you're starting work on it you
have some questions or you need some
clarification proactive communication
would be reaching out to make sure you
have everything set in your mind before
you start working basically proactive
communication comes down to thinking
ahead about things that could go wrong
or challenges that might be presented to
your team and trying to mitigate those
or at least that's how i think of it i'm
generally of the school of thought that
the better expectations are communicated
the better everyone works together and
that is why proactive communication is
so important all right let's move on to
constructive communication so in my mind
constructive communication is mostly
going to take place in pull requests to
either github or gitlab or whatever
source control you happen to use and
constructive communication is important
because it's a teaching tool and it's
also a really good way to level your
team up if it's done appropriately and
with some nuance so developers have a
bad reputation for being really blunt
and not too nuanced when it comes to
feedback so stuff like this is bad this
is wrong this is a code smell you know
stuff like that and so the way i like to
approach constructive communication in a
way that's more palatable for the other
person is to ask questions so if you
notice for example a lot of repeating
code i would say hey is there a way to
make this more dry or hey for this piece
of data we would typically use the
context api rather than redux would you
mind telling me a little bit more about
your thought process or if there's not
an opportunity to ask a question
directly i might make a statement that
is a little bit more passive so for
example i might say it seems like the
way that you built this modal is in
conflict with the pattern that we have
in the rest of the app and then maybe
you could follow up with a question like
does that seem to be the case to you i
think the benefit of doing things this
way is that you're able to get your
point across and voice some concerns
without being hopefully too abrasive and
you also give the other person an
opportunity to express their thoughts a
lot of times when i ask a question on a
pull request it's not that i'm trying to
criticize indirectly it's that i
genuinely have a question and a lot of
times the person who wrote the code is
the person that is best able to answer
that question and a lot of times there's
just stuff that i didn't think of and so
it's a good way to get all on the same
page so that's basically constructive
communication for me questions and
indirect statements all right let's talk
about the last topic which is async
versus live communication and
conversations so if i'm being honest i
don't love jumping on zooms just kind of
by nature i kind of like being a little
bit in a silo and just doing my work
without having to do a whole lot of
talking during the day but i will say
that live communication is better for a
lot of things that come up so it's
pretty obvious but live communication
let's say via a zoom or in person or
whatever is better for pairing so trying
to pair program with somebody async is
kind of a mess it's just really
difficult and so i will give the win to
live communication as far as that goes
and if you have a company that has a
strong culture of pairing and that
probably means you're going to be on a
lot of zooms but that's okay i think
live communication is also better for
explaining complicated things that have
a fair bit of nuance so if there's
something that's really complicated it
can be a little bit exhausting to have
to type out a whole paragraph and then
do a bunch of back and forth about
whatever the topic is doing it live is
also better for tone so it's really hard
to communicate tone through written
formats and it's also better like i said
if there just needs to be a quick back
and forth then live is probably better
for just getting that out of the way i
think async communication like slack or
email is better for everything else or
for people that don't like getting on
calls but i think at a certain point you
will kind of run into some friction as
it pertains to like i said pairing and
stuff like that that is just better
suited for a live conversation
ultimately this comes down to team
culture and to some extent individuals
so i would say above all just do what
the team does unless there's an obvious
way of doing it better so those are my
tips on how to do communication as a
developer and hopefully do it a little
bit better hope you found this helpful
if you're still here you'd probably like
the rest of my channel which focuses on
software engineering and career
development so consider subscribing
regardless thanks so much for watching
to the end remember stay hungry stay
curious and i'll see you in the next one
[Music]
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