YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOU CAN COMMUNICATE
by Daniel Obando, Staff Software Engineer at GAP
Let’s talk about how frustrating communication can be for leaders — especially in the tech industry. Although we communicate daily, communication is not always intrinsically valued as something that we can learn and improve as software engineers.
So, I want to introduce the Core Communication Method. This method is presented by Pat Kua in the Tech Lead Academy. For “techies,” it is very natural when trying to learn something to implement some kind of framework to simplify the process. We understand a framework as a set of tools that can be reused in order to solve several kinds of problems. The Core Communication Method is a framework that can be used on every communication need for tech leads to get better results.
Why is it so frustrating?
The United States 1994 soccer World Cup was the first I knew about. I love the game, and the idea of reuniting the best players in the world for a single tournament blew my mind. I watched every single match. And, of course, I remember the final event: one of the most boring in all of world cup history, though. A no-goal tie led Brazil and Italy to penalty kicks. Some emotion at last!
All the players scored, and then came Roberto Baggio’s turn. The year before, he was named FIFA’s Player of the Year and awarded the Ballon d’Or. He was one of the best at the time… and still missed his target. The shot went wide up, and Italy lost the World Championship with a single kick.
I couldn’t believe it. Roberto Baggio couldn’t believe it. Italy and most of the world couldn’t believe it. In a single word, it was frustrating. It was frustrating because it was a single kick; he was one of the best; because… he did it every day and still missed, which leads us to our main point.
I recently took a course on communication, and they asked why communication seems so complex and frustrating for everyone, but especially for leaders? This question took me back to that final match in 1994. But this time, I was the one in front of the ball, doing something I do every day and still missing the target. Now, if you think about it, communication is something that leads — and tech leads in particular — should master because it is something we do all the time. It is pretty much the core of what we do.
Look at the chart below that reflects the amount of time a regular developer spends on their assigned tasks and the time they spend on communication versus the time a leader spends communicating. As responsibilities increase, the time we need to spend communicating increases too. See the tech lead. For example, 50 percent or more of their time, they share with others, ask for status updates, give feedback, and explain the context and technical approaches, among others.
So, why are we not pros at communicating if we are doing it most of the time? Why is it frustrating? We can all agree that communication is challenging. And one of the main reasons this is true is that it depends on many factors. Here are some of them:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
What is your message? What needs to be said?
Who is the recipient, and how much do you know about them?
How much time do you need to explain your ideas?
How much time do the others need to understand your message?
Background noise
Chosen channel: email, chat, face-to-face, a blog, etc.
It’s counter-intuitive for technology: DRY doesn’t apply here.
The thing is: we communicate every day, but we need to be more focused on how we are doing it. It is different from learning a new programming language or tool. We are sending a message and assuming everyone understood exactly what we wanted to say.
On top of that, communication tends to be a little harsh for tech people. Most of what we learn in college, or our tech knowledge, doesn’t really prepare us to fully express our ideas, like Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY). We say things once and quickly to be as efficient as possible. But to clarify an idea, you must sometimes repeat it so the audience can remember it and then process it. You may also need to repeat it in different ways because the people you are sending the message to may also understand it in other ways. This can be mind-blowing for tech leaders.
Let me give you an example to illustrate this point: an experiment was conducted between two tech leads. They both had similar degrees and skill sets. But, when asked a question, one explained his ideas in more detail and ensured others understood. The other gave quick, short, direct answers with no room for replies. When asked, their direct reports considered the former a better lead, although they both had the same technical level.
So you can be an incredible tech lead, but if you can’t express and share with clarity what is in your head, people won’t follow you.
And that’s the point of being a leader. We don’t see communication as something we need to (or can) improve, but the good news is that communication is also a skill. And because it is a skill, it can be improved.
The Core Communication Method
This framework consists of four questions leaders should ask themselves before starting any communication attempt:
1. WHO?
The message needs to be tailored depending on the intended recipient. Target the audience as specific as possible. This lets you define the type of information to share, the level of detail, and the channel you will use to send the message.
For example: Let’s suppose we want to inform our company about an issue that was just found on a production application. Stakeholders don’t really need to know the component name, nor the class name that is involved in the issue. They just need to understand what’s going on and when a solution is expected. For the dev team, that might be critical information to give a quick solution to the problem.
2. WHAT?
Try to put your central message in a single sentence. When you try to do this, you might realize you actually have a couple of messages to share. If that’s the case, try to find a unifying theme and focus on it. Otherwise, you might need to split the message into several ones. Here are two examples:
In this quarter, we will finish re-architecting our platform (what) because we want to launch into a new market (why)
We are planning to double our team size (what) this year because we want to get more things done (why)
3. SO WHAT?
What are the consequences of what you are communicating? Try to answer from the selected audience’s perspective. You might find it handy to use percentages of chance for something occurring. Here are our two examples now expanded:
In this quarter, we will finish re-architecting our platform (what) because we want to launch into a new market (why) so we can gather new client feedback (so what).
We are planning to double our team size (what) this year because we want to get more things done (why) in order to grow our revenue by at least 30% (so what).
4. WHAT’S NEXT?
Consider what questions the audience might have, and try to answer them in advance. This is communication with empathy: thinking about how others might be receiving (or not) the message. Some useful questions to answer here might be how and when individuals will get the result? When does it apply? Or where can you go for questions?
In this quarter, we will finish re-architecting our platform (what) because we want to launch into a new market (why) so we can gather new client feedback (so what). We will hold on to other side projects during this time (what’s next).
We are planning to double our team size (what) this year because we want to get more things done (why) in order to grow our revenue by at least 30% (so what). We will need your help with interviews starting next week (what’s next).
I can say this framework has had a great impact on my communication since I started using it. When I review my messages since I started using the framework, I see cleaner, more understandable messages. And the main way I can tell this is working is because of the effect it is having on the people around me: there is less back and forth, fewer misunderstandings and fewer problems.
So, my final recommendation is to practice the Core Communication Method every single day. This includes everything from Slack messages and emails to company-wide presentations. Then seek feedback and repeat. Don’t rush because it takes some time to change our mindset to be able to approach communication as a skill, as something that can be improved. But you’ll notice this will become more and more natural. Remember, if I’m able to make myself understood by the peers I’m leading, it will be simpler to lead in the direction you need.
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