%% date:: [[2022-08-10]], [[2023-08-31]], [[2024-01-20]] Siblings:: [[Culture]] %% # [[Communication]] Communication is one of my top [[Strengths Finder]] themes. [[Strength Finder Theme: Communication]] ## Communication and Language - [[Linguistics]]: The study of the nature of language - [[Polyglottery]]: Learning others' languages ## Why do we communicate? ### To inform ### To entertain ### To learn - [[Developer Relations]] - [[Writing does not help us learn - it IS how we learn.]] ### To connect - [[Banter]] ## Media of communication - [[Writing]] - [[Producing videos]] - [[Public speaking]] - Podcasting - Programming: [[Coding and writing are converging]] - [[Publishing and distribution]] ## Reasons why communication may fail - [[Culture|Cultural norms]] can influence the way that people both communicate information and understand it. [[sources/Book/The Culture Map|The Culture Map]] can help us identify differences in expectations because of culture and communicate more effectively by respecting other people's preferences. - Communication requires some degree of disclosure, especially in situations when [[Consent]] is required. In such cases, communication without disclosure of relevant information is insufficient. - A requirement for communication is [[Introspection|self-knowledge]]. You can't express what you don't know. ## Strategies for improving communication - [[Overcommunication]] should be the norm in media lacking non-verbal information, such as textual chat. - [[Emojis as communication]] is increasing in usage and may provide context that improves understanding and engagement. - Consider [[Linguistic privilege]] in writing. - Use other media of communication, sometimes more than one at a time, to express complex ideas: [[Technical testing documentation as videos]] - [[Blame the hands, but read the book.]] When someone misunderstands you, rethink your phrasing instead of just blaming the misunderstanding on them. - [[Active listening]] is a method of communication that involves hearing what someone has to say, asking genuinely curious questions, and then restating what you understood in your own words to verify your understanding. [^morethantwo] - Good communication is direct and [[Low-context communication|low-context]]. Avoid triangular communication, where you communicate with a person outside of the issue to resolve it. [^morethantwo] - Practice [[Nonviolent communication]] by separating observation from judgment and acknowledging that what a person is saying is entirely separate from how our feelings and how we choose to respond to them. [^morethantwo] - Be proactive, not reactive, about communication. [^morethantwo] Don't wait for a misunderstanding to arise before you seek to verify your assumptions. ## [[Languages]] ## My content on this topic - [[The real value of load testing is in the communication of results]] - [[sources/Article/Mine/Linguistic Privilege]] - [[Explaining Results at Different Levels]] - [[Coding and writing are converging]] [^morethantwo]: Veaux, F. et al. (2014). *More than two: A practical guide to ethical polyamory*. [[More Than Two|My highlights]].