The Art of Tech Persuasion: A Programmer’s Guide

Thriving Technologist

Ever wanted to do something new, or make a change on your software project - but other people on your team won't support you? Maybe you want to move from scrum to kanban, use a newer JavaScript framework like remix, or if you're a UX designer introduce something like customer journey maps.

It would be nice to always have support from other people, but if you've never had pushback for one of your ideas, it's a matter of WHEN - not IF. So at some point, unless you want to quit your job every time you need a change to keep delivering great software, you'll need to persuade other people on your software team, or in management - to support you.

In this episode I'd like to share with you what I learned over 15 years of software development consulting about persuading IT management and other technologists on your software team. Persuasion is a soft skill that is more valuable than many people realize!

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Chapter markers / timelinks:

(00:00) Introduction(01:13) 10 Steps to Persuade Others(01:21) 1. Be Honest About Your Skills(01:57) 2. Have an Authentic Relationship(03:40) 3. Know How To Measure Success(04:43) 4. Identify Benefits To Others(05:44) 5. Incremental Persuasion(07:00) 6. Create Visual Aids and Assets(08:38) 7. Future-Pace The Benefits(09:53) 8. Know How They're Measured(11:08) 9. Timebox The Response for Support(12:29) 10. Practice Persuasion(13:39) Episode Groove

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