The Columbo Technique is a non-confrontational conversation strategy. “Columbo” refers to Lt. Columbo from the famous TV crime series. Lt. Columbo usually starts conversations with casual open questions, just to put the other person at ease and get them freely talking.
In context of technical writing it refers to a way of extracting information from subject-matter experts (SMEs). Source: https://passo.uno/the-columbo-technique-for-technical-writers/
Every documentation task is a reverse whodunnit: Much like it happens in almost every episode of Columbo, we know who did what from the start thanks to the numerous traces left in issue trackers, commit messages, and wireframes. Knowing who’s responsible for committing a feature (pun intended) is less important than confirming and explaining. We want SMEs to begrudgingly smile and nod at our version of the facts. You get there by adapting some of the behavioural patterns that made Lt. Columbo so likeable to audiences worldwide.
The technique:
- Create a safe space for developers: Use praise and positive comments to make SMEs feel more willing to share key information.
- Own your ignorance: Lose the fear of presenting stuff that’s wrong, because SMEs feel compelled to provide clarification (but show that you have put in some work to understand the topic beforehand).
- Show Minimum Viable Docs: Present rough excerpts of what the docs for the feature could look like, underlining any inconsistencies (if the SMEs care or feel proud about their creation, they won’t be able to resist the urge of pointing out the truth).