Sometimes communicating can be complicated and torturous because you don’t realize you’re talking about two things at once. For example, you’re having an ongoing heated conversation with a colleague about whether you should do the sales dinner in Houston or Chicago. You never get to resolution, you just keep debating and getting nowhere. Why can’t you make this simple decision? … Read More
Inch along
Communicating complex concepts to people who may not want to hear them is tough. See last week’s post for great advice from Neil deGrasse Tyson on that. It can be just as hard to communicate complex material to people who do want to hear it. How do you find the right pace? How do you ensure they understand you? How … Read More
It’s complicated
People ask me all the time how to communicate complex issues to people they must persuade – like their bosses, juries, etc. It’s always challenging to communicate to an audience who has limited attention and perhaps less intellectual horsepower than you’d like, especially when the nuances matter and the stakes of misunderstanding are high. Quartz asked Neil deGrasse Tyson the … Read More
Learning to thrive in Byzantium
It’s the end of June, so this is the last post of Debugging Teams month on poseyblog! Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman’s great book has so much to offer engineers and other creators on the importance of communication and collaboration. Fitz and Ben devote a good chunk of the book to what they call “The Art of Organizational Manipulation.” In … Read More
A leader, not a manager
June is Debugging Teams month on poseyblog! Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman have great advice for leaders in their wonderful book on the importance of communication and collaboration. They address the dangerous “anti-patterns” that can sink a leader, like hiring pushovers, ignoring low performers, treating your team like children. When you dive into this section on anti-patterns you’ll recognize your … Read More
Creating a culture
June is Debugging Teams month on poseyblog. In this great book written to help engineers and other creators build soft skills, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman spend a lot of time on creating and maintaining a culture. Fitz and Ben say, “The first mistake most team members make is to assume the team leader creates the culture of a team. … Read More
Mission statements really can drive efficiency
June is Debugging Teams month on poseyblog. Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman’s great book on the importance of communication and collaboration is a great read not just for engineers but for anyone who makes things with other people. Fitz and Ben are big believers in mission statements, but for very pragmatic reasons. “For an effective, efficient team, writing a mission … Read More
Read Debugging Teams!
My new favorite book is Debugging Teams by Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman, two engineers who are deeply converted to the importance of communication and collaboration. Here’s their opening epigram, from Bill Coughran: “Engineering is easy. People are hard.” Exactly. Fitz and Ben’s argument is that software development is a team sport, so it’s worth investing energy in becoming a … Read More
Be a human.
You are a person who is motivated by strong core values. You are a person who’s so deeply interested in something that you’ve immersed yourself in it for years. You are a person who’s been through triumphs and mistakes like everyone else who’s alive. Let people see who you are. When you do a media interview, talking about why your … Read More
Are they listening to your keynote? Kinda.
In the tech industry, being on the keynote stage is a critical rite of passage – whether you’re presenting at a big industry conference or your own company’s annual user conference. (A TED talk is another animal. Different audience, different rules.) So, it’s almost time for your big talk at Giant.con! You’ve immersed yourself for weeks in getting your message, … Read More