Published on June 1st, 2017 | by Guest

How to give negative feedback to techies [Infographic]

Working with geeks and techies can be difficult. Technically-minded people (to use the politically correct term) tend to have a very particular kind of demeanor when it comes to work – a hardiness that sees them through long hours, thankless heroism, and usually not enough pay!

The flipside of that hardiness is an obstinacy that, even if it’s based on sound technical knowledge and an understanding of how the world around us works, is not always healthy in a teamwork scenario. So how can you talk to them when they’re in the wrong, without being shouted at or ignored?

A good place to start is with specifics. Tech people like to work with absolutes. Engineers have great imaginations, but they operate most imaginatively when they have clear parameters. So if work isn’t being done quick enough, don’t ask your tech guy to speed up – give him a deadline or a pace at which you expect him to hit certain landmarks. If your programmer is producing messy code, show her a template that you’d like her to match. And if they’ve made a mistake, specify what went wrong – don’t wade into blaming it on an element of their personality or lifestyle.

And if you’re working in a team, tempers are likely to get frayed from time to time – especially if you’re making negative criticisms. But if an argument should break out between members of your crew, don’t stamp it out. Instead, bring the volume down to a civil level, and try to help your team members fix things between them instead of resolving it yourself. Tech people love to solve problems – if only you can get personal issues out of the way.

This new guide on handing out negative feedback will come in really handy next time you have an issue to sort out with your technical team. Learn it well, and don’t forget to show your appreciation – techies are the ones that keep the whole world turning!