Mastering Human Communication Patterns

Dan Hermes.NET Software Consultant

Lexicon Systems

The Social Ceiling

• It’s why projects fail

• It’s the most significant threat in our field

• There’s only one way to break through it

Communication

• Dependencies

• Listening

• Expression

Dependencies

• What is Communication?

• Social Contracts

• Roles

• Responsibilities

Areas of Awareness

• Business

• Technical

• Project

• People

Roles can isolate team members

DEVELOPER

PROJECT MANAGER

ANALYST

Overlapping roles can cause competition and conflict

PROJECT MANAGER

ANALYST

DEVELOPER

Awareness and clarity of roles can unify a team

DEVELOPER

PROJECT MANAGER

ANALYST

Common Languages

• business requirements

• specifications

• high level design

• high level technical terms

• high level project terms

• Agile/Scrum

Listening

• Questions

• Attentive Silence

• Active Listening

• Empathy

Listening - Blocks

• Inattentive Silence

• Negative Emotion

• No Common Language

Expression

• Brevity

• Expressing Needs

• Tact

• Right to Speak

Expression - Blocks

• Low self-esteem

• Social Context

Communication

• Dependencies

• Listening

• Expression

Communication

• Yours and Mine

• Awareness

Resolving a Miscommunication

• The Understanding

• The Concession

• The Steamroll

Resolving a Miscommunication

• The Understanding

• The Concession

• The Steamroll

Communication

• Dependencies

• Listening

• Expression

from the book

How to Interact with People:Human Communication in the Software Industry

Dan Hermes.NET Software Consultant

Lexicon Systems

Blog: www.itshopkeeping.com

Twitter: @lexiconsystems

Website: www.lexiconsystemsinc.com

Phone: (781)526-0738

Email: dan@lexiconsystemsinc.com