Ever worked with a “10x developer” who writes mind-blowing code but is impossible to work with?
Yeah, we all have.
The truth is—being a great developer isn't just about solving problems with code. It's also about solving problems with people.
Here’s why communication might be the most underrated skill in tech—and how to master it.
1. Why Most Developers Ignore Communication (and Pay the Price)
Let’s face it—we didn’t get into coding because we loved writing documentation or giving presentations.
Most devs think:
"My code should speak for itself."
Spoiler: It doesn’t.
Poor communication leads to:
- Confusion within the team
- Misunderstood requirements
- Delays and bugs
- Burnout from fixing preventable issues
Want a real-world example?
Read this short Google Engineering Practices guide. It shows how much they value code clarity and review communication—even more than raw skill.
2. What Great Communication Looks Like in a Developer
It’s not about being a smooth talker. It’s about clear, thoughtful, and intentional interaction.
Great dev communicators do things like:
- Ask questions when a task is unclear
- Summarize tasks before starting
- Provide helpful, respectful code reviews
- Document their work in a way others enjoy reading
- Share context in stand-ups or meetings so others stay aligned
Check this:
Here's how a dev who communicates well might write a commit message:
fix(auth): correct token refresh logic on timeout
- Ensures user sessions persist across browser refresh
- Fixes bug where expired token wasn’t updating
- Related: #132, https://example.com/issue-tracker/bug-token
Notice the structure, clarity, and context? It saves hours of debugging later.
3. How to Start Communicating Better—Today
Start small. Here are a few powerful (and easy!) habits to adopt:
✅ Ask clarifying questions
Before jumping into a task, try:
"Just to confirm, is this supposed to handle both logged-in and guest users?"
✅ Leave comments with empathy
When reviewing code:
"Could we break this into smaller functions? It’ll be easier to test and reuse later."
Instead of:
"This is bad."
✅ Improve your writing
Start by documenting your work clearly. Tools like Notion or Markdown cheatsheets help.
✅ Practice async updates
Send short updates in Slack or Jira:
“Finished backend API for product listing, moving to testing phase now. Deployed on staging here: [link]”
✅ Record walkthroughs
Try Loom or Scribe to share a quick feature explanation instead of a long text message. Visuals help teams retain context better.
4. Communication Isn’t “Soft”—It’s a Superpower
In remote or hybrid teams, communication is your visibility.
You could be doing the best work in the world—but if no one knows, it doesn’t matter.
Want to grow faster as a developer?
👉 Learn how to explain things to non-tech teammates.
👉 Write better pull requests.
👉 Give updates your manager doesn’t need to “decode.”
This is what leadership really looks like.
5. Some Resources to Sharpen Your Communication Game
Here’s a curated list of valuable reads and tools to level up:
- 📘 Just Enough Research – by Erika Hall
- 🎯 The Art of Explanation – by Lee LeFever
- ✍️ Markdown Editor for Dev Docs
- 🎥 Loom – record quick feature walkthroughs
- 🧑🤝🧑 Team Communication Principles – Basecamp
Final Thoughts
Your next big career jump probably won’t come from writing a more elegant algorithm—it’ll come from clearly communicating how your work creates impact.
And the good news?
You can start practicing today.
💬 What’s one communication habit that changed the way you work?
Drop it in the comments—I’d love to learn from your experience too!
👉 Follow [DCT Technology]for more content like this on web development, design, SEO, and IT consulting.
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