Communication 101 for Developers: My best advice!
Communication 101 for Developers: My best advice!
Knowing how to communicate well isn’t always immediately obvious. In fact, only a privileged few have mastered this art. The first step is to understand the message you wish to convey. Next, share the information with your interlocutor, simply. On paper, it's simple. In real life, on the other hand, it can make anyone less comfortable with this exercise break out in cold sweats (and don’t blame yourself for that !).
I thought long about all this and came up with a cheat code I call, "I want to improve my communication." Here are some tips you can use in your daily communication!
First of all, understand
To make sure you pitch an idea well (like presenting one of your tech projects), you need to first master your subject. The first step is to understand all the ins and outs of the project. If you don't, don't hesitate to do some in-depth research or get in touch with your tech lead to get answers to all your questions.
Practice, practice, practice
There's no way around this: to really rock a presentation, you need to practice well beforehand! Make time to ensure that you respect your time and that you feel at ease to unveil your project with ease. This advice also applies to a job interview. You can “rehearse" beforehand with a member of your entourage so that you feel ready on D-day.
Listen carefully
Listening, really listening, is more than just hearing. It means trying to understand your team members, without trying to assume or guess what they are sharing with you. It means taking their message into account: more than just teamwork, listening is essential! It is through listening that you will come to understand a need and that you will be able to provide a solution. So, when someone is trying to get a message across, here’s one piece of advice: drop everything else for a few minutes and give 100% of your attention to understanding this person. Don't hesitate to take notes!
Adapt your message to your audience
When you show your work or idea to others, it’s best to adapt to each audience. Whether you're dealing with techies or insiders, the dialogue won't be the same! You must therefore be able to talk about the progress of your project, whether it is to your tech lead or to the community manager of your team who intends to make a post on social networks.
Put yourself in the other person's shoes
Empathy is the next level up from listening. This is that soft skill that tests your ability to feel the emotions of others, to walk in their shoes. In addition to creating a climate of trust and transparency, everyone feels more at ease and understood, and that means they also feel more valued in their work. In short, team cohesion is the only real thing!
Ask for feedback
There’s no failure—only success. Even if things don’t turn out exactly the way you wanted them to, chances are, you've taken a lot away! With this in mind, don't hesitate to ask for feedback from your colleagues and managers in order to continue to improve. The same goes for the job interview exercise. If you are not unanimously accepted by the company, don't hesitate to ask your interviewer why. That way, you can adjust your aim at the next interview!
In closing, I’d like to put you up to a challenge. What if tomorrow, you were to offer a "Friday Funfare" in your company? You take the opportunity to present the tech project you've been working on all week to your team. This is the ideal exercise to improve your communication skills. The only risk you run? Receiving encouragement and congratulations. I’ll leave it up to you!
