Communicating And Working With Engineers - Bridging The Gap

Learn effective communication with technical teams, to keep engineers productive and building the right thing.

What you'll learn

Maximize your engineering team's productivity by choosing the right communication techniques.

Get more accurate estimates for project timeframes and dependencies

Empathize with the ways engineers think differently than non-engineers

Avoid common sources of frustration from engineers

Create environments where introverts and extraverts can both thrive

Requirements

Some experience in a technical business setting will be helpful for context.

Description

Why do our technical projects keep slipping? Why are the engineers I work with annoyed when I try to talk to them? Why are they resistant to coming back into the office? Why can't they appreciate the strategic importance of what we're building?If you've ever asked yourself any of those questions - consider that the problem might not be with your engineers, but with how you communicate with them. Managers, project managers, or anyone who depends on technical teams need to understand how engineers think differently - and how to communicate with engineers to maximize their productivity and their morale.This course is taught by Frank Kane, who brings his experience as both a senior manager and as a senior engineer at Amazon headquarters. Frank's seen the challenges of communication between engineers and non-engineers from both sides of the table, and shares his insights on how to empathize with engineers to communicate more effectively. You'll join 700,000 learners who have gained technical and managerial skills from Frank.Better communication with engineering leads to more realistic project schedules, a more productive team, and an assurance your team is building the right thing. Some specific topics we'll cover include:Introversion vs. extraversion, and how to create an environment conducive to bothCommunication challenges arising from a focus on the big picture vs. a focus on technical detailsOptimizing your communication style to keep engineers productiveSoft skills vs. hard skills, and the communication challenges that ariseNavigating cultural, language, and geographic barriersYou'll also get four hands-on activities, including a role-playing exercise of a difficult meeting with a lead engineer. You'll get to practice and apply what you learn.This course is aimed at non-technical staff that depends on engineering teams to deliver results - managers, project managers, or anyone else on the business side. Understanding what makes engineers tick goes a long way in building a more productive working relationship with them. Hope to see your enrollment!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 The Dangers of Stereotyping Engineers

Lecture 3 Introversion vs. Extraversion

Section 2: Communication Challenges from Differing Priorities

Lecture 4 Technical Problems vs. Business Problems

Lecture 5 Technical Debt (or: why engineers view new projects with suspicion)

Lecture 6 Tension from Short Term vs. Long Term Focuses

Lecture 7 Thinking Big vs. Detail Orientation

Lecture 8 Combating Inertia and Resistance to Change

Lecture 9 ACTIVITY: Different Views of a Project from Engineering and Management

Section 3: Engineering Communication Styles

Lecture 10 Verbal vs. Written Communication

Lecture 11 Navigating Technical Jargon

Lecture 12 Time is Precious - Especially to Engineers / Brainstorming with Engineers

Lecture 13 Different Focuses in Communication

Lecture 14 ACTIVITY: Prepare for a Meeting with Engineering

Section 4: Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills

Lecture 15 Engineers are Results-Driven

Lecture 16 Resistance to Collaboration

Lecture 17 Taking Experience Into Account

Lecture 18 Flow State / The Zone

Lecture 19 ACTIVITY: Get Engineers Interested in an Upcoming Meeting

Section 5: Other Communication Challenges

Lecture 20 Giving and Receiving Feedback with Engineers

Lecture 21 Encouraging Transparency

Lecture 22 Language and Cultural Barriers

Lecture 23 Communicating with Remote Workers

Lecture 24 Universal Communication Tips

Lecture 25 ACTIVITY: Role-playing a Meeting with your Tech Lead

Section 6: Conclusion

Lecture 26 Wrapping Up - Thank You!

Lecture 27 Bonus Lecture

Managers, project managers, and other non-technical staff that depend on engineering teams to deliver results.