Listening Driven Testing

A lot of testers know that if you want to be able to test well, you have to ask lots of questions and not just to one or two developers, but to a whole range of people who have some vested interest in the product your testing.  We ask questions to understand the context. We ask questions to understand the application we are testing.

I wonder though, am I the only tester out there who is not  that great at listening to the answer?

I ask the question, I hear the answer, what the Project Manager, or Marketing Director says, but that's different to listening.

Listening means, "I hear what you say, and I will take that into account"

As a tester with a bit of experience, I have to confess I sometimes think I know best. I go into "Yeah sure, that's what you think you want, but here is what you really need" mode and forget to listen to other people.

It takes respect and humility to listen properly to other people. Its something I want to improve on. I know it will make me a better tester in the end.

So, next time you have that conversation with your colleagues or potential clients. Do yourself a favor and really listen to what they have to say. You might even learn something.

Merry Christmas