Qualification of a Pair Programmer: A Good Listener

Sharad Jain, Monday, February 25, 2008 @ 12:07 pm

Be a Good Listener. We've all heard this phrase. As I experienced recently, it applies readily to pair programming as well.

I am currently helping a student learn Java while she is taking an algorithms class. Having had teaching experience in the past, I was able to teach her the basic stuff fast and well. It was mostly a one way street where I talked and she listened. As she grew more comfortable with Java, she starting asking non-trivial questions. I quickly realized that it was no longer a one way street. I had to make conscious effort to not discount what she said/asked and say what I had to say. It took us longer to arrive at a solution _together_ if I talked more than I listened. I had to resist the temptation to arrive at a solution _alone_ and bring her along; at her speed. To bring her along, I had to listen more and make an effort to understand what she understood and where she missed. This may seem counter-intuitive but I realized that it was best (in terms of code quality and long term sustainability of happy pairing relationship) when I listened to her and gave her just enough information to find her way instead of imposing my way onto her.

I understand that pairing with a newbie is distinct from pairing with your co-developer. But still, being able to align yourself to someone else's thoughts goes a long way in achieving better results.

Happy Pairing !

tech development

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