Making Your Words Match Your Intelligence

Developers are often the most knowledgeable people in the room. However, communication barriers can make it difficult to effectively navigate conversations to the best outcomes.

In this session we will look at four tools to improve one's communication skills:

• Back of a Napkin: the value of simple and consice diagrams.
• Crucial Conversations: self reflective questions to clarify others' perspectives.
• Emotional Intelligence: because often emotions matter more than IQ.
• Dialectic: a different mode of thinking to focus on what is true rather than who is right.

Whether talking to a client, a manager, or a peer developer, being able to express your understanding is requisite to making progress. For each of these tools we'll look at how they help to communicate your understanding, using examples from my own experience.

The key takeaway from this session is having tools to help you as a developer be a more effective communicator. Whether you're just starting as a developer or have many years under your belt, if you are looking for new ideas to help you succeed then this session is for you.