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Ironically, I once got feedback from my team lead that when I would start with my question without first pinging with a generic "hello", it seemed demanding.
by ummonk 7y ago
Ironically, I once got feedback from my team lead that when I would start with my question without first pinging with a generic "hello", it seemed demanding.
- lliamander 7y agoWould you say "<Question>" or "Hi! <Question>"? The former could seem demanding, but if they're offended by latter then the situation is hopeless.
- ummonk 7y agoI would usually say “Question: <question>”. The latter might have been okay; after the feedback I just switched to “hey I’m stuck” or “Hey I’ve got a question” and asked the question after he replied, which he was happy with.
- lliamander 7y agoThat's fair. I sometimes do that too, especially if the question is somewhat long and complicated (though I that point I usually ask if I can just call the person). But at least that's more than a solitary greeting.
- foobarchu 7y agoIt's this worry that causes me to prefix non-urgent things with something like "Hey, question when you get a chance, XXX". What feels demanding to me is coworkers who will simply send a message containing my name, sometimes followed by a period. Opening slack to see just "John." (not my actual name) is somehow both more and less personal than "Hi". I believe it's mostly a language barrier thing, as it's only ever ESL speakers who do it, but it still feels like nails on a chalkboard for me.