OCTom (12/22/2010)
My 2 cents worth:When correcting/criticising someone:
1. Don't make it personal.
2. Make it about the code and/or advice.
3. Use positive instead of negative terms.
4. Give an alternative and explain why it's better.
When being corrected/criticised:
1. Don't take it personally.
2. Remember it's about the code and/or advice.
3. If you are wrong, accept the criticism/correction gracefully.
4. If you are not wrong, use the first four steps above to correct the corrector.
And, for both, remember there are many ways to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Your way may be just one of many and it may not work in all installations.
Excellent advice ( 🙂 ).
One way to keep the conversation about what was written is to request clarification. It's usually much better received to say something like "I don't quite understand how this works....", rather than "This doesn't work."