The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

Summary

• Know what you want to say.

• Know your audience.

• Choose your moment.

• Choose a style.

• Make it look good.

• Involve your audience.

• Be a listener.

• Get back to people.

Related sections include:

• Prototypes and Post-it Notes

• Pragmatic Teams

Challenges

• There are several good books that contain sections on communications within development teams [Bro95, McC95, DL99]. Make it a point to try to read all three over the next 18 months. In addition, the book Dinosaur Brains [Ber96] discusses the emotional baggage we all bring to the work environment.

• The next time you have to give a presentation, or write a memo advocating some position, try working through the wisdom acrostic before you start. See if it helps you understand how to position what you say. If appropriate, talk to your audience afterward and see how accurate your assessment of their needs was.