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The biggest level-up moment going from a player to a designer is learning how to "speak" like a designer, to other designers. Communicating ideas and feedback clearly and concisely has proven harder to master than any other learning curve. This is even more important when...1/X
...leaving written feedback where you won't be able to explain ambiguities in your comments or clarify what the designers' intent was. I often catch myself in a "feedback loop" of sorts, where I will reiterate a point multiple times, just in case... 2/X
...I didn't explain myself well the first or third time. This is good and bad: good, in that I am probably going to get the message across (eventually), but bad in that I am using up valuable meeting time for one design or one idea when there are others that need attention. 3/X
Picking up on the language other designers use to describe their feelings/concerns helps to make sure you are speaking the same "language" but sometimes what you want to express doesn't have an elegant word and that's where you need to be able to break it down...4/X
...to the simplest form you can without losing any meaning. This is a heavy burden for even EFL designers, but is more difficult when cultural or linguistic barriers start rising. This is where understanding WHO you are speaking to and how they communicate becomes important. 5/X
Read your audience and adjust your tone, words, and even speed of speech. In this digital age that gets harder when the "room" is behind a computer screen. Take the time to get to know who you are giving feedback to (and vice versa - who you are RECEIVING feedback from) ... 6/X
...in order to better understand their perspective. Good communication is so vital to growing individually as well as improving your game/product etc. I am lucky to have VERY patient and understanding mentors and Sr. designers around me and truly believe the success of... 7/X
...new employees (designers or otherwise) depends on the attentiveness and willingness of seniors to engage and invest in us. I am so thankful for the support I have received so far in this new career and hope this thread encourages other seniors in their field to look at ...8/X
...how they communicate not only with each other, but with others who are still learning to communicate. We all have areas to improve, but I believe this has the greatest application to improve collective learning and compassion for others.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. 9/9
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. 9/9
