How to Create Alignment and Consensus

Rafael A. George Duval
2 min readDec 24, 2023

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Avoiding miscommunication and focusing on success is important when working on critical projects. Consider who would be best suited to lead the project and work with them to ensure their success. Take notes and ask questions to contribute to the discussion. If someone isn’t participating, try to involve them in the conversation. Writing can help clarify your thoughts and beliefs. When summarizing ideas, always start with the main point. Accept feedback and take responsibility for any issues. Provide solutions when presenting problems. Avoid academic-style presentations and stay flexible in your desired outcomes.

Having years of software development experience does not guarantee that you will produce functional software.

Consider what they know you don’t, and focus on learning from them during the interaction. Listen with intent by asking specific questions about what they’re saying in real-time. To be a good listener, you must demonstrate that you’ve understood precisely what the other person said and encourage them to keep talking. Mindful communication involves actively listening and engaging with others to promote awareness.

Communication is an integral part of our daily lives that transcends all boundaries. It encompasses how we use our voice, including the tone, volume, and pace of our speech. Communication is a dynamic process that involves various aspects and requires our full presence to be effective.

Having years of software development experience does not guarantee that you will produce functional software. Listening and learning from domain experts is important, which can only be done through effective communication. The actual value of software lies in how it benefits the users. Therefore, developers should prioritize accountability by communicating their ideas and understanding the potential impact on users. Rather than focusing on producing functional code, it’s crucial to concentrate on writing the appropriate code. This requires strong communication skills, not just coding skills, to fully comprehend the problem.

[¹]: Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track

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Rafael A. George Duval
Rafael A. George Duval

Written by Rafael A. George Duval

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