Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🔗 Stack overflow article referred in video
https://stackoverflow.blog/2018/04/26/stack-overflow-isnt-very-welcoming-its-time-for-that-to-change/
🔗 (Patrons only) Official discussion topic for this episode on the Fun Fun Forum:
funfunforum.com/t/politeness-or-clarity/4987
🔗 Support the show by becoming a Patreon
youtube.com/watch?v=trP9q703x0o
🔗 mpj on Twitter
twitter.com/mpjme
🔗 Help translate the show to your language
youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UCO1cgjhGzsSYb1rsB4bFe4Q
A few weeks back Stack Overflow posted an article that recognised what pretty much everyone that has a soul has known for years, it’s not a very welcoming place.
I want to talk about civility and clarity.
I often run across this theory, this idea, in the developer community, that you can communicate more clearly by being less civil. This idea, that civility is this unnecessary, superficial cellophane and bowtie that you put around what you say. We can be more effective if we just remove this pretty dress-up of our communication, and communicate facts in a structured manner. If someone is wrong, just tell them that they are wrong, don’t dip it in sugar.
However, Clarity and civility are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, civility makes your message /more/ likely to be received by the other party, because you're optimising for the recipient.
🔗 Stack overflow article referred in video
https://stackoverflow.blog/2018/04/26/stack-overflow-isnt-very-welcoming-its-time-for-that-to-change/
🔗 (Patrons only) Official discussion topic for this episode on the Fun Fun Forum:
funfunforum.com/t/politeness-or-clarity/4987
🔗 Support the show by becoming a Patreon
youtube.com/watch?v=trP9q703x0o
🔗 mpj on Twitter
twitter.com/mpjme
🔗 Help translate the show to your language
youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UCO1cgjhGzsSYb1rsB4bFe4Q
A few weeks back Stack Overflow posted an article that recognised what pretty much everyone that has a soul has known for years, it’s not a very welcoming place.
I want to talk about civility and clarity.
I often run across this theory, this idea, in the developer community, that you can communicate more clearly by being less civil. This idea, that civility is this unnecessary, superficial cellophane and bowtie that you put around what you say. We can be more effective if we just remove this pretty dress-up of our communication, and communicate facts in a structured manner. If someone is wrong, just tell them that they are wrong, don’t dip it in sugar.
However, Clarity and civility are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, civility makes your message /more/ likely to be received by the other party, because you're optimising for the recipient.
