People usually associate advanced software engineering with gray-bearded experts with vast knowledge of how computers and things like compiler internals work. However, having technical knowledge is just the base requirement to work in the field. In my experience, the greatest minds in the field are not just experts in knowledge, but also extremely efficient communicators, particularly in writing. Following these 8 principles can help you maximize your efficiency in written communication:

In this post, I share 8 principles I believe in:

  1. Less is more
  2. Start with the solution or the ask
  3. Show the facts, with examples
  4. Always quantify
  5. Include links and references
  6. Explain why it matters
  7. Ask feedback from one person
  8. Sleep on it

As engineers and developers, we often focus heavily on technical skills while neglecting the importance of clear, compelling writing. But the reality is, our ability to communicate effectively can have a major impact on our careers.

  • astrsk
    12•6 months ago

    Good tips, but how does one practice them? Often times I see advice along the same lines but no offers on how to improve these skills.

    • @[email protected]
      4•6 months ago

      Write to non technical humans and ask them for feedback, and if it is clear what’s goong on even if they dont understand some stuff.

      Then do the same with various levels of technical people and different walks of life.

    • @arendjr
      2•6 months ago

      I would suggest writing blog posts about topics that you’re familiar with. Make sure you write the posts such that also people not too familiar with the material can follow it. Share your posts, and ask for questions and feedback.

      • astrsk
        2•6 months ago

        I have been thinking about starting a blog.

        Any recommendations for self-hosted blogging? The setup itself might be worthy of a post :)

        • @arendjr
          2•6 months ago

          I use Astro, because it allows me to write posts in Markdown and publish as a static website, though there are certainly other solutions that allow you to achieve the same thing. I just bundle it up in an Nginx Docker image and host it on Fly.io. If you want you can look at my setup here, though beware it isn’t documented (even the README is already out of date): https://github.com/arendjr/phebe