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> Sometimes I'm in a hurry and I don't do all this, and it often leads to hurt feels, pr flame wars, etc. Have you considered framing all your suggestions in t
by klipt 7y ago
> Sometimes I'm in a hurry and I don't do all this, and it often leads to hurt feels, pr flame wars, etc.
Have you considered framing all your suggestions in the form of questions?
Eg "have you considered doing this using <X>, because the style guide suggests it/it might be faster/etc"
That way if they have already considered it, they can just respond yes, and give the reason they didn't do it. And if they haven't considered it, they can think about it and make a more informed decision.
Maybe this is a very passive approach but it seems to work for me. Inspired by a sci-fi writing workshop I took and the tips they gave on how to critique without turning it into a confrontation.
- jacobsenscott 7y agoI try. I never say "you". I always "I think" or "I believe", and almost always use questions. I also try and stay fairly terse out of respect for their time and to avoid "talking down" to them. But I think sometimes that comes across wrong. As soon as I sense hurt feelings I jump on a call though.
- strken 7y agoReframing statements as a question is less effective than training yourself to actually ask real questions. If you're 99% convinced that something is wrong, it's no use asking a question like "have you considered not leaving a print statement in the middle of your code?", but if you're only 90% sure then there's already a question you need to ask. This may or may not be what you suggested, sorry if it's redundant.