The Brain Sandwich(terriblesoftware.org)
60 points by keyle | 36 comments
A blog post on Terrible Software titled "The Brain Sandwich," likely about engineering management and how to deliver feedback or communicate ideas.
#communication on Hacker News
18 stories tagged communication, newest first.
The value of not getting to the point (2015)(ken.arneson.name)
220 points by NaOH | 75 comments
A 2015 personal blog essay by Ken Arneson reflecting on introversion and why conversations meander, prompted by a text from his college-age daughter.
I don't want the details(michaelheap.com)
382 points by mooreds | 205 comments
Blog post by Michael Heap recounting an SVP who refused the details of a failure, arguing that explanations make problems seem reasonable so they recur.
Don't paste the AI, please(dontpastetheai.com)
899 points by pjerem | 463 comments
A single-page etiquette site asking people not to paste unedited ChatGPT output as replies and to answer in their own words instead.
How to ask for help from people who don't know you(pradyuprasad.com)
461 points by FigurativeVoid | 68 comments
A personal blog essay offering heuristics for asking strangers for help, centered on putting yourself in the other person's mind and showing proof of work.
Most arguments are about ego, not ideas(wangcong.org)
560 points by backlit4034 | 431 comments
Personal blog post by a software engineer explaining why he stopped arguing with people over technical correctness and what he learned about arguments.
Why senior developers fail to communicate their expertise(nair.sh)
742 points by nilirl | 314 comments
Essay by Tuhin Nair on why senior software developers struggle to communicate their expertise to others.
How to be anti-social – a guide to incoherent and isolating social experiences(nate.leaflet.pub)
336 points by calcifer | 311 comments
A satirical blog post listing ironic tips on how to be anti-social, such as assuming malice, avoiding challenges to assumptions, and digging in against dissent.
Stop trying to engineer your way out of listening to people(ashley.rolfmore.com)
363 points by walterbell | 224 comments
A blog post by Ashley Rolfmore titled "Stop trying to engineer your way out of listening to people"; the captured screenshot instead shows her post on playing Traitors at home.
How we lost communication to entertainment(ploum.net)
651 points by 8organicbits | 365 comments
Blog post by Ploum arguing that online communication tools have been turned into entertainment platforms, eroding genuine communication.
Always bet on text (2014)(graydon2.dreamwidth.org)
329 points by jesseduffield | 164 comments
A 2014 blog post by Graydon Hoare arguing that text is the most powerful and durable communication medium; the capture shows a Dreamwidth captcha page instead.
![Screenshot of youtube.com: Patrick Winston: How to Speak (2018) [video]](https://hn.urlbox.com/shots/renders/2025/9/1/7a1f28b0-80d7-4112-b7e9-5d322158a2c2.jpg)
Patrick Winston: How to Speak (2018) [video](youtube.com)
397 points by tosh | 72 comments
YouTube video of MIT professor Patrick Winston's 2018 lecture on how to speak and present effectively; the capture shows a reCAPTCHA page instead.
How to win an argument with a toddler(seths.blog)
649 points by herbertl | 476 comments
A short Seth Godin blog post arguing that you can't win arguments with 'toddlers' — people who seek status or noise rather than a real exchange of ideas.
Sell yourself, sell your work(solipsys.co.uk)
391 points by ColinWright | 152 comments
Colin Wright's essay arguing that technically brilliant work is wasted unless you write it up clearly and communicate it to others.
Your small imprecise ask is a big waste of their time(staysaasy.com)
418 points by zdw | 250 comments
A Stay SaaSy blog post arguing that vague, imprecise requests from managers and executives cause teams to waste large amounts of time.
Ask vs. Guess Culture(jeanhsu.substack.com)
844 points by kiyanwang | 448 comments
A Substack essay by Jean Hsu on the clash between ask culture and guess culture in making and responding to requests, at home and at work.
How to communicate when trust is low without digging yourself into a deeper hole(charity.wtf)
548 points by zdw | 211 comments
Blog post by Charity Majors on careful communication when rebuilding trust, drawn from her experience repairing her cofounder relationship.
Scar tissues make relationships wear out (2013)(gist.github.com)
623 points by ColinWright | 176 comments
GitHub Gist transcribing a John Ousterhout Stanford CS142 lecture excerpt on how accumulated 'scar tissue' wears out personal and business relationships.