3 ms·
I have a question, that bothers me a lot: When someone says "there's a better way to do it", aren't they actually saying "[I think that] there's a better way t
by RangerScience 10y ago
I have a question, that bothers me a lot:
When someone says "there's a better way to do it", aren't they actually saying "[I think that] there's a better way to do it"?
I think I understand that saying, simply, "I don't like the way this is done" isn't helpful, but I don't see how it's necessarily "personal", or rather, that any critique can be anything other than personal. Anything you say is expressing a thing you think. How can it be otherwise?
I have definitely fought hard-lost battles, and everyone came out the worse for them... but it's still hard for me to understand why they happen, because anything you express is, by definition, something you think is true. Leaving out the words, it seems to me, just makes your expression less genuine.
- jeanettehead17 10y agoAuthor here. I like to say 'this way would be better because...' as much as possible. Providing a business case to back up your claim makes it less personal. Receiving feedback is never fun, but IMO it's easier to weather when there's a reason for that feedback being given that's more than someone else's opinion. Also having coding guidelines/linters is important from transitioning the conversation from 'I think it should be this way' to 'our coding standards say it should be this way' and removing some ego from the conversation.
- RangerScience 10y agoI am all on-board with reasons with critique. I guess I'm asking about the difference between: "I think this is good/bad because..." and "This is good/bad because...." The latter one is just dropping words; it's still a think you think, whether you acknowledge that or not.