Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read.

Documents at work are rarely 140 characters or 140 words or even a single-page document. Whoever wrote that document has put their thoughts into words. It would have been peer-reviewed. Revisions made and approved for general consumption. It might not be the best-written technical document or the best way to string words together, but it nevertheless captures an idea.

You might be a super-star developer or a kick-ass architect, but it’s a big red flag for me if you don’t know how to read and understand a document/mail/incident report without someone explaining it. It is a skill that lets me measure your ability to work independently.

I’ve seen this happen time and time again with new graduates. They’re brilliant at their technical skills but struggle to comprehend written information. They ask questions already answered in the document and make mistakes because they can’t understand the instructions.

This is a concern because it slows the team and leads to errors. It’s also frustrating for the people who have to explain things repeatedly.

Check this question,

Each new term in the Fibonacci sequence is generated by adding the previous two terms. By starting with 1 and 2, the first 10 terms will be:

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ...

By considering the terms in the Fibonacci sequence whose values do not exceed four million, find the sum of the even-valued terms.

It’s the second question at Project Euler.

This is one of my interview questions. Most people I interview generate four million numbers or the first few numbers in a Fibonacci sequence. People deserve second chances. So I ask them to reread the question carefully. Still, the majority can’t understand what is expected as a result.

How to improve?

So what can you do to improve your comprehension skills? Here are a few tips:

  • Read regularly. The more you read, the better you’ll understand written information.
  • Pay attention to the author’s style. How does the author structure their sentences? What kind of vocabulary do they use? The more you pay attention to the author’s style, the easier it will be to follow their train of thought.
  • Ask questions. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. It’s better to ask a question than to make a mistake.

So please, pick up a book, newspaper, online article, or anything longer than a page, and make it a habit to read and do it daily.

./J