Discussing the challenges of communication that affect us all and techniques to help you be more effective - Six Thinking Hats - Thinking Fast & Slow - Cognitive bias / confirmation bias This talk was last given at DevRelCon in London, December 2016.

1. Communication Improbable?
by John Stevenson
@jr0cket

2. @jr0cket

3. 5 Day Workshop
on communication
20 minute talk
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4. Communication
has many forms
People respond to forms of communications differently

5. If we are not
communicating…
...just vibrating air
between us
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6. A picture paints a
thousand words…
- Use visuals as part
of you message
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7. Touch, taste and smell
can evoke very
powerful
communication
- In-person events
add to the feeling of
connection
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8. So it should be really easy to
communicate with your community,
right?
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9. Communication is Improbable
Our brains filter out millions of pieces of data...

10. Filter… Filter… Filter...
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11. Thinking Fast and Slow
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System 1
- fast, instinctive and emotional
System 2
- slower, more deliberative, and
more logical
wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow

12. Confirmation Bias
“Our App is so easy to use”
“We have all the features you need”
“Everyone wants to use our platform / API / tools”
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13. 180+ Cognitive Biases
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14. We are all opinionated
people
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15. Avoid living in
your own
bubble
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16. @jr0cket

17. Can we communicate
And can we convey our real meaning...

18. The more you do…
… the more
confusing the
message can
become
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19. Write Clear Content
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20. Why Attend my event?
If we run an event, do people
know why they should attend?
- When is it
- Where is it
- What benefit will I get

21. Visualise
Your
Message

22. @jr0cket

23. Organising your info
Make Discovery Easy
Consider the naming of things

24. Communication Techniques
Being effective

25. Listening Effectively
Thinking about what you are going to say next is
not listening
Thing about what someone is actually saying,
rather than what you think (wish) they were
saying
Patient people are much more effective at
communicating
Listening shows respect & builds trust
Meditation & Mindfulness practice helps you
into a listening mode
@jr0cket

26. Why are we doing this?
@jr0cket
Challenge your assumptions

27. Should we do this now?
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Last responsible moment

28. Evaluate many aspects of your thinking
Six Thinking Hats
- Edward De Bono
Everyone thinks
with the same hat
at the same time
Effective way to
make decisions &
have valuable
meetings

29. Don’t you not want to leave
this talk right now,
or not ?
Clarity of communication
Kittens are going hungry whilst you try and figure this out

30. “I can’t get no…
satisfaction”
Clarity of communication
Modern culture and language is often the most guilty...

31. “Difficult People” - Agree, Empathise, Inquire
Find something to agree with
- reduces confrontation levels
- “You’re right, this is a tough situation”
Empathise with the person
- give them a sense of acknowledgement
- I can see this makes you angry”
Inquire, get further information about the situation
- start collaborating on a resolution to the problem
@jr0cket

32. Learning from Communication
Come and join me on stage to win a prize

33. Retrospectives &
Off-sites
Work on how you communicate
...challenge your own
assumptions
...test /validate your
understanding

34. Evaluating & Testing Feedback
Qualitative versus Quantitative

35. Evaluate your
feedback
Validate survey results by
talking to people
Data is not information until
it’s been tested (many times)

36. Qualitative versus
Quantitative
Validate survey results by
talking to people

37. Test your assumptions
New people to your
community can quickly show
you
- processes that are
broken
- missing information
- things are are ambiguous

38. Keep it real...

39. It’s not all
about T-Shirts

40. Developers love the
new shiny…
… but it actually has to
work and be a good
experience
Backlash takes more
effort to overcome!

41. If you have to force
people to use your
tech…
… there is something
very wrong

42. 5 volunteers on stage please...
Come and join me on stage to win a prize

44. I went to John’s talk and all I got was a silly selfie!

45. Deliver what you
promise…
… or deliver even
greater

46. What communications is not!

47. Communication is not...
...the tools you use
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48. In Summary...

49. Trust.
Underpinning Communication
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50. Communication is the most
important part of
developer relations
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51. Effective communication
is bringing others on a
journey your mind has
already taken
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52. If we are not
communicating…
...just vibrating air
between us
@jr0cket

53. Thank you
@jr0cket

54. “The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass
through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of
Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as
the How, Why, and Where phases.
For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question:
'How can we eat?' the second by the question
'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question:
'Where shall we have lunch?”