Every engineer dreams of having charisma: to make small talk without effort, to communicate clearly, to form genuine friendships, and to collaborate like a natural. But if we’re honest, most of us just want to solve problems, avoid unnecessary meetings, and focus on writing great code (or prompts).
Here’s the truth: technical brilliance alone isn’t enough. To have our ideas implemented, to get the recognition we deserve, to influence decisions, and to grow into leadership, we need strong communication skills.
And at the core of influence is trust. People follow those they trust. To build trust, we need to connect as humans first—through empathy, listening, and genuine friendship. That’s where charisma begins.
The C4E Masterclass is about exactly that: practical, hands-on techniques for listening better, complimenting others authentically, and coaching teammates in a way that makes you not just a better communicator, but a better engineer, collaborator, and leader.
Your teacher, Chris Laffra, is a seasoned software engineer with more than 30 years of experience across
diverse domains, industries, and roles. His expertise centers on developer productivity, communication,
and engineering leadership. With a Ph.D. in Computer Science and numerous publications and books to his
name, Chris has built a career at world-class companies including IBM, Google, Uber, Morgan Stanley,
Bank of America, JP Morgan, and ADIA—working as an individual contributor, manager, team lead, and developer
advocate.
Beyond his technical achievements, Chris is deeply passionate about helping engineers grow—not just in
their careers, but as communicators, collaborators, and leaders. Through coaching, mentoring, and his
in-person Communication for Engineers Masterclasses, he shares the practical skills and insights that
empower engineers to find the right path for their professional and personal development.
Here is an interview with Chris Laffra why it is important to communicate well as an engineer:
This masterclass provides a simple plan, a systematic approach, and actionable advice for improving your communication skills. It also includes the Communication for Engineers book, the Secret to Developer Productivity book, and a 70 page printed handout with comprehensive materials on the same topics.
The following feedback was collected at a recent C4E masterclass:
When asked what attendees learned from the masterclass, answers included:
Branding yourself can be fun.
Communication helps me improve my career.
To communicate well, I need to focus on controlling my emotions.
You are a brand. Not only when you are finding a new job, but all the time.
Communication is not just talking to people, but it is happening all the time
This course taught me to see how my experience aligns with others.
I can do code reviews better.
Writing is an important skill to develop!
Tickets are communication tools.
The insights from this masterclass have a major impact on my development, enjoyment and mental health at work, now and in the future.
Everything is connected. The way you reply to emails, write tickets, write documents, write code, comment on code reviews. Everything plays a role in your "brand" and in how people see you. Doesn't matter whom you're talking to in the "hierarchy chain", you need to be polite, objective and effective when communicating. Thinking about engineers (encoding, decoding, channels) make a lot of sense when thinking about communication.
Interestingly, the following quote was mentioned multiple times at different companies:
This workshop should be mandatory training at our company!
This masterclass has already helped hundreds of engineers take their communication skills to the next level. By attending, you’ll not only become a more successful software developer, but also a more impactful collaborator and a happier engineer. Strong communication skills create benefits for three groups:
Stakeholders – Managers, product owners, peers, and customers will value working with you when you can clearly articulate how your solution addresses their problem. You’ll learn how to summarize and present with empathy, give technical direction through compelling storytelling, and resolve team conflicts with emotional intelligence.
Yourself – Stronger communication opens doors. You’ll find yourself invited to more exciting projects, recognized more fairly for your contributions, and able to increase your impact at every level of the organization. You’ll learn how to define a growth plan, engage others for support, and shape your career path with confidence.
Others – Communication skills extend beyond work. You’ll strengthen personal relationships, be seen as a role model, and earn a reputation as someone people love to collaborate with. Your presence will inspire trust and positivity—whether in a meeting, with friends, or at home with family.
The C4E Masterclass is intentionally kept small—around 20 participants—to create an interactive environment where everyone can contribute, practice, and get personalized feedback. The program is divided into three core sessions:
Selling – How do you make your ideas heard and adopted? In this session, you’ll learn how to present technical proposals that resonate with both technical and non-technical audiences. We’ll cover structuring presentations, emails, design documents, elevator pitches, and even napkin sketches. You’ll practice using empathy, storytelling with data, and consistent messaging to influence decisions across your organization. Expect hands-on exercises that give you practical tools you can apply immediately.
Growth – Every engineer wants to grow—whether in responsibility, impact, recognition, or leadership. Growth doesn’t happen by accident; it requires clarity, feedback, and support. In this session, we’ll explore how to plan your development, identify gaps between perception and reality, and use feedback as a catalyst for improvement. You’ll practice both giving and receiving feedback, equipping yourself to become not just a more impactful engineer, but a happier one.
Collaboration – Great software is never built alone. Yet much of teamwork happens in meetings, which too often waste time and drain focus. This session will give you strategies to make meetings more effective—or to avoid them altogether when possible. We’ll explore different meeting types, what makes them valuable, and practical techniques to ensure collaboration leads to better outcomes without unnecessary interruptions.
The C4E Masterclass has been delivered over two dozen times in the past, with a couple more planned this year. It is held on site at a company's offices, at a partner site, or at conferences, such as GOTO Amsterdam and GOTO Copenhagen. Upcoming public sessions will be listed below as they are scheduled.
To schedule a session at your own office, contact Chris using the button shown below.
