I Don't Understand

I like to think most people in our field are naturally curious, so make sure your environment doesn't stifle that attitude. Hold group learning sessions for new technologies, code reviews, and so forth. As a senior explicitly seek out advice and explanations from newer colleagues even if you can figure it out on your own. Hopefully they'll end up feeling comfortable doing the same.

That the most experienced devs say this the most might not be just about status games. You need to have a very solid shared background to be able to jump to understanding something after the sort of short verbal explanation "I don't understand" can be replied with.

If I go to an university lecture on advanced math, I won't understand things, and can say so. But it's unlikely the lecturer can say anything in the span of five minutes that will make me understand, since what would actually get me close to understanding the content of that lecture are several semesters worth of studies leading up to it.

The senior devs might be the only people on the room who do have such a solid grasp of their stuff that they can fill in their understanding with just a few minutes of explanation. Junior people don't understand either, but they might need to work over the new thing for hours, not five minutes, to get a proper handle on it, and you can't give an hours-long answer to someone who says they don't understand.

There's an Israeli saying that encapsulates this effect exactly (if somewhat abrasively): "Whoever asks, is stupid for a moment; whoever doesn't ask, stays stupid forever."

Yes, absolutely. Asking questions is how you turn a lecture from a poor substitute for just reading about the subject into something far better.

From the other side I find it incredibly useful to get questions while speaking and I wish I was better at encouraging them. When writing a talk you have to write for some imaginary audience who won't ever quite match your actual one. But if you can get them to start asking questions then immediately you have the opportunity to tailor what you're doing for the audience in front of you. It's a very satisfying feeling :)

Any tips from anyone here for making people feel more inclined to ask questions? Often the ones who could most benefit (and create the most benefit for others) are the the ones least likely to have the confidence to do it.

> Any tips from anyone here for making people feel more inclined to ask questions?

Become more of an asshole.

There are probably more eloquent ways of phrasing that, but I want something that will stick in your mind when you're actually on the spot, and that works.

The idea here is to stop caring quite so much about what others want and what others will think of you.

If you constantly worry that you're interrupting the flow and that you'll be bogging everyone else down, don't. Embrace the asshole side of you to ask the question and damn the consequences.

If you worry that the people around you will think you're dense, fuck them. They don't have the first clue about you, and you're in that class for you, not for them.