Just Say Yes or No! 3 Tips for Better Communication | Adam Cogan

🔴 SSW Rule: Do you answer with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ for clarity before providing extra information?
https://www.ssw.com.au/rules/start-your-answer-with-yes-or-no-then-say-your-opinion
https://www.ssw.com.au/rules/how-to-take-feedback-or-criticism

📞 Contact us: https://bit.ly/4fAFrVx

When someone asks you a simple question, do you give a straight answer or jump into explanations?

In this video, SSW’s Adam Cogan shares 3 practical tips for communicating clearly and handling feedback professionally.

Discover why starting with a direct “Yes” or “No” avoids confusion, how acknowledging mistakes builds trust, and why becoming defensive or sarcastic only makes difficult conversations worse.

Whether you’re working with clients, colleagues, or your team, these small changes can help you communicate with confidence, take ownership, and keep conversations productive.

Chapters:

🌐 About SSW: https://linktr.ee/SSWTV

🔗 Links:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/ssw
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👋 Get in touch:
Adam Cogan – SSW Chief Architect + Microsoft Regional Director
About: https://www.ssw.com.au/people/adam-cogan/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcogan/

#SSW #SSWTV #AdamCogan #CommunicationSkills #ConstructiveFeedback #WorkplaceCommunication #ProfessionalDevelopment #Leadership #Accountability #SoftSkills #Teamwork #EffectiveCommunication

V8 – Pam

About the speakers

Adam Cogan blogs at adamcogan.com and interviews for SSW TV frequently. He is the Chief Architect at SSW, a Microsoft Solutions Partner specializing in custom enterprise .NET and Azure solutions mostly using Blazor, Angular, and React. His solutions also involve AI, Office 365, SharePoint, Dynamics 365, and the Power Platform.

Adam is currently working on TinaCMS - the world's best Markdown GitHub editor.

His deep knowledge of SharePoint's many capabilities, combined with the latest technologies (Angular, React, SPFx), let him propose high-quality tailored SharePoint Applications to clients.

Just Say Yes or No! 3 Tips for Better Communication | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

When someone asks you a simple question, do you give a straight answer or jump into explanations?
In this video, SSW’s Adam Cogan shares 3 practical tips for communicating clearly and handling feedback professionally.
Discover why starting with a direct “Yes” or “No” avoids confusion, how acknowledging mistakes builds trust, and why becoming defensive or sarcastic only makes difficult conversations worse.

Whether you’re working with clients, colleagues, or your team, these small changes can help you communicate with confidence, take ownership, and keep conversations productive.

Want to be a better consultant? Master the art of managing up | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Want to become a better consultant and accelerate your career? Stop bringing problems to your manager and start bringing solutions!

Join SSW’s Adam Cogan in the beautiful city of Strasbourg, France, as he shares practical tips on managing up, a skill that helps you become more proactive, build trust with your manager, and make better decisions.

Adam explains why presenting options with a clear recommendation is far more effective than simply asking your manager what to do. Using real-world consulting examples, he demonstrates how to evaluate resource decisions, communicate your preferred solution, and help managers make faster decisions.

You’ll also discover how to manage up when you’re CC’d on an important email. Instead of waiting for your manager to ask for advice, learn how to proactively draft a suggested response, share your expertise, and save valuable time.

Whether you’re a developer, consultant, architect, or team leader, these simple habits can help you take ownership, demonstrate initiative, and grow professionally.

Takeaway: Don’t just identify the problem. Present the options, recommend the best one, and explain why.

Tick and Flick! 3 tips for better Sprint Reviews | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Want better Sprint Reviews? Adam Cogan shares 3 practical tips to keep your reviews short, engaging, and valuable. Learn how to use the “tick and flick” approach, involve stakeholders, and turn feedback into action.

Vibe Coding is fast, but is it Enterprise Ready? | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Vibe coding is transforming software development, allowing developers to build features in minutes instead of days. But does faster coding mean better software?

In this SSW TV episode, Adam Cogan explores the excitement and hidden challenges of AI-powered development. Using a Formula 1 analogy, he explains why speed alone isn’t enough when navigating the complexities of architecture, security, testing, and maintainability.

Discover how enterprise vibe coding, or AI-assisted engineering, combines the speed of AI with the right architecture, context, and guardrails to build reliable, maintainable software.

🚀 Enjoy the speed, but don’t forget the corners!

Microsoft Teams Etiquette: Simple Habits That Make Meetings Better | Adam Cogan

Whether you’re working remotely or in the office, small habits can make a huge difference in Microsoft Teams meetings.

Treat Your Code Like Uranium | Adam Cogan

Adam Cogan shares a striking story comparing two World War II factories—one ordinary, one handling uranium—and the surprising lesson that the uranium workers lived longer because they followed disciplined, risk-aware practices. He connects that idea to software teams: the best outcomes come from careful habits like automated tests, telemetry, pull requests, retrospectives, shared rules, and good tools. The message is simple: treat software delivery with the same respect as dangerous work, and you’ll reduce stress, avoid chaos, and get better results.

3 Tips for Better Video Recordings | Adam Cogan

Great coaching can dramatically improve how you present, communicate, and learn. In this video, Adam Cogan shares 3 practical coaching tips that SSW uses every day—from onboarding and role plays to improving video delivery. He explains why having a coach matters, why immediate interruption beats delayed feedback, and how repeating corrections helps lock in better habits.

TinaCMS + Fumadocs: Bring Visual Editing to Your Docs | Hark Singh

Discover how to connect Playwright with AI agents and unlock powerful workflows.

Stop Using 👍 Wrong in Teams | Adam Cogan

A quick communication tip from Adam Cogan: don’t use 👍 as a catch-all response when someone assigns you a task in Teams, Slack, or Google Chat. In the example Adam gives, if a task will take about five minutes, a thumbs up is too ambiguous because it does not clearly say whether you’ve read it, agree with it, are doing it now, or will do it later. Instead, use 👍 for agreement, 👀 to show you’ve seen the task and are actively working on it, and then replace 👀 with ✅ once the task is done. It is a small change, but it removes ambiguity and cuts down unnecessary follow-up messages.