Communication

Often, when we think about computer engineering, communication is not one of the main subjects we associate with it. Nevertheless, communication is key in every aspect of our lives, even in jobs that have to do with computers. Communication involves sending or receiving any message, it could be verbal o even graphical, and it is a crucial soft skill that everyone should be able to exercise efficiently. As software developers, we usually work with a team and interact with clients, so we need to communicate clearly and concisely with everyone.

When we are working on a project, we have to communicate a lot with our teammates. In methodologies like Scrum, there are meetings in which we must share our progress, what problems are slowing us down and what we are going to work on next. Good communication is essential, and we must convey our message in a clear and assertive way. Also, good communication with clients is vital. Throughout the development of any project, there are going to be several meetings with the clients, and we need to understand what they want so that we can explain to them what can be done or guide them towards a solution that satisfies their needs.

Having said that, it’s clear that communication is fundamental. Once we realize this, we can start to consciously make efforts to improve the way we communicate with others. This is something that will open many doors for us as professionals. For example, we could be asked to participate in an important event as speakers, meet with big clients to convince them to work with our team, or even teach a class in a prestigious university. We must continuously make conscious efforts to be better at being understood and understand others.