A presentation at DevRelCon London 2023 in in London, UK by Andrew MacLean
Educators Edge How Teaching Skills Can Elevate Developer Advocacy Andrew MacLean (He/Him) | 🥑 @ DevCycle @andrewdmaclean andrewdmaclean.com @andrewdmaclean
Talk tl;dr Understanding how to apply educational pedagogy* can help you better organize & prioritize your DevRel practice for building strong developer communities. *teaching theory and practice @andrewdmaclean
About Me 👋 2010 Youth Outreach Worker 2015 Engineering Outreach Manager 2019 Classroom Science Teacher 2020 Community Manager 2023 Developer Advocate @andrewdmaclean
In this talk I’ll cover: ● My Journey from Classroom to Code ● Parallels between Teaching and DevRel ● Why Pedagogy matters to DevRel practitioners ● How Educational Hierarchies can be applied to DevRel ● Practical examples of scaffolding for DevRel practitioners @andrewdmaclean
DevRel & Teaching: Two Parallel Worlds? @andrewdmaclean
Daily Responsibilities DevRel Teaching Develop Learning Materials Conduct Live Presentations Collect and Analyze Feedback ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Oversee Programs & Initiatives Address Concerns & Provide Assistance Promote Engagement & Affinity ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Compile Detailed Documentation Organize & Participate in Events Champion Cooperation & Knowledge Sharing Innovate & Implement New Ideas Distribute Incentives ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Responsibilities adapted from the 2022 DevRel Compensation Report, Common Room @andrewdmaclean
DevRel > Marketing Teaching > Instructing DevRel + Teaching = Building & Supporting Growth @andrewdmaclean
? So what? How can I use these similarities to inform my DevRel work? @andrewdmaclean
Well, consider the progression of this Marketing Funnel… Awareness Consideration Conversion Loyalty Advocacy @andrewdmaclean
It is nearly a mirror image to this key educational hierarchy… Create Evaluate Analyse Apply Understand Remember Produce new or original work Justify a stand or decision Draw connections among ideas Use information in a new situation Explain ideas or concepts Recall facts and basic concepts @andrewdmaclean
It’s nearly a mirror image to this key educational hierarchy… Bloom’s (2001) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives @andrewdmaclean
Considering these similarities Perhaps Bloom’s Objectives might apply to our DevRel work? @andrewdmaclean
But wait… Are objectives really what a teacher would focus on first? @andrewdmaclean
STUDENTS MUST MASLOW BEFORE THEY CAN BLOOM @andrewdmaclean
Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs Self-Actualization desire to become the most one can be Esteem Belonging Safety Needs Physiological Needs Deficiency Needs = Motivation ⬇ as Needs Met respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection personal security, employment, resources, health air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing Growth Needs = Motivation ⬆ as Needs Met @andrewdmaclean
Students need their basic needs met before they can fully engage in higher-order thinking. @andrewdmaclean
As educators, it is our job to provide the scaffolding required for those needs to be met & growth to occur. @andrewdmaclean
Developers ^ Students need their basic needs met before they can fully engage in higher-order thinking. ^ deeper community involvement @andrewdmaclean
DevRel practitioners ^ As educators, it is our job to provide the scaffolding required for those needs to be met & growth to occur. @andrewdmaclean
So perhaps we can re-imagine Maslow from a DevRel perspective… @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence Understanding Nurture innovation & enable meaningful impact. Celebrate achievements & foster growth. Build spaces promoting connection & belonging. Enable independent problem-solving. Clearly communicate technology utility & usage. ’s (2023) Hierarchy of Developer Needs @andrewdmaclean
But what does the “scaffolding” look like when building a DevRel program within the hierarchy? @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence ● Create an Onboarding Email Series ● Write “Getting Started” Documentation ● Host Welcome Q&A Sessions ● Publish Interactive Tutorials ● Develop Content around Core Features Understanding Clearly communicate technology utility & usage. @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence ● Implement Real-time Support Channels ● Host regular Live-coding Streams ● Publish Gists of common issues/solutions ● Write Guides for Specific Use-cases ● Create GitHub Repos with Sample Code Understanding Enable independent problem-solving. @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence ● Engage in Subreddits or Niche Forums ● Feature Community Initiatives in Newsletters ● Write Guest Posts on Community Blogs ● Foster Local Chapters or User Groups ● Sponsor/Organize/Participate in Events Understanding Build spaces promoting connection & belonging. @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence ● Highlight Open Source Contributors ● Publish Dev “Shoutouts” on Social Media ● Feature Developers in Blogs and Streams ● Facilitate Community Hosted Webinars ● Establish Community Awards Program Understanding Celebrate achievements & foster growth. @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence ● Create a Developer Advisory Group ● Host Workshops on Advanced Topics ● Offer Developer Certification Pathway ● Allocate Incubation Grants for Projects ● Establish Peer Mentorship Programs Understanding Nurture innovation & enable meaningful impact. @andrewdmaclean
Agency Empowerment Connection Confidence Understanding Nurture innovation & enable meaningful impact. Celebrate achievements & foster growth. Build spaces promoting connection & belonging. Enable independent problem-solving. Clearly communicate platform utility & usage. ’s (2023) Hierarchy of Developer Needs @andrewdmaclean
Key Takeaways: ● Developers are people first, coders second ● Meeting needs is a prerequisite for achieving goals ● The fundamentals outweigh the frills ● Strategy should prioritize needs over goals ● Building solid scaffolding will support shared success @andrewdmaclean
ADDRESSING CORE DEVELOPER NEEDS CAN HELP ADVOCATES ACHIEVE OUR GOALS @andrewdmaclean
Contact Me 💬 Find me on Social: @andrewdmaclean Check out my Website: andrewdmaclean.com @andrewdmaclean
Explore the benefits of teaching techniques in developer relations. In this talk, Andrew will discuss the parallels between teaching and advocacy, focusing on empathy, communication, and growth mindset. Learn how to leverage your unique skill set as an educator to build stronger connections within the developer community and create successful developer programming.
for free. You
can too.