A non-technical talk, “Dealing With Disrespect,” turned out to be one of the more intriguing topics I came across during my time at OSCON. Dealing With Disrespect also happens to be the name of a book authored by the speaker, Jono Bacon.

Jono related the talk to his time working as an Ubuntu community manager and his experience dealing with the replies to blog posts. He categorizes the replies into 3 sections:

1. Agreeable
2. Disagreeable
3. Unacceptable

Agreeable communication doesn’t just include feedback that is in favor of an idea but it also includes constructive criticism.  You don’t have to agree but you can voice your dissent in a constructive manner.

Disagreeable communication isn’t helpful in any way.  This includes being disrespectful or showing your lack of approval without giving any valuable feedback as to why you disagreed.

Unacceptable communication is a type of communication that is just outrageous and absurd (all YouTube comments).  Jono sites this example: “If you don’t stop producing this garbage I am going to come round to your house…”

So how does this relate to software engineers? Code Reviews!!

Code reviews invite criticism and open dialog between developers.  And while I’m sure we think we are being agreeable, we sometimes we may not realize we are actually being disrespectful. Jono lays out 4 key ingredients to every type of communication…

1. Content

For a code review, the content is the feedback being given on the code. (Simple enough)

2. Sender

As the recipient of criticism, we have to realize and remember that the sender has his own technical skills, experience, and social skills that they are bringing to the table.

As the person reviewing the code, we need to be cognizant of the fact that everyone else sees you from their own perspective.  This, however, shouldn’t make you change the content of your feedback, but hopefully it makes you think twice about the tone in which you deliver it.

3. Tone

We all know most communication is less about the words you speak and more about how you say them. Your tone and body language can speak volumes more than your words alone. Your tone can also differ greatly from person to person depending on things like how well you know that person.

Tip: And remember that things like good natured sarcasm might not carry over well if your code reviews are not in person.

4. Context

Context is all encompassing.  It includes things like whether you have debated this topic before and how constructive it was or the fact that people’s moods can change from one day to the next.  Context is not really something you can control but something you should be aware of and adapt to.

So, during your next code review, try to pay attention to these 4 ingredients in order to improve your communication skills and maximize their effectiveness during the review.

If you’re interested in learning more on this subject you can visit Jono Bacon’s webpage at www.dealingwithdisrespect.com and even download his book.