

With Computers: Don't Repeat Yourself. With People: Do Repeat Yourself - breck
http://breckyunits.com/with_computers_dont_repeat_yourself_with_people_do_repeat_yourself

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lmkg
Repeating yourself is also a very good example of how written natural language
and spoken natural language are very different beasts.

If you look at good, effective oratory style, and write it down, it looks
totally horrible. One of the major differences is more repetition. When all
the words are present, written down on a page, it's easy to go back and re-
read. People can also go along at their own pace, make sure they understand
before moving on, and are generally more in control of their experience.

In spoken language, the opposite is true. You have one chance to express
yourself, and you have to make sure it's successful, despite the listening
abilities of the audience. So while written language favors variation of
vocabulary, because the same word repeated a dozen times stands out as bad
style, spoken language uses it as a basic tool of getting a point across.

When I deliver presentations, I insert tons of back-references, repeating
previous points or conclusions. When using powerpoint, I also insert a lot of
forward-references, giving a brief outline of the topics to be immediately
covered. I generally try to mimic how, if I were reading an equivalent paper,
I would be flipping back through the pages or how I would have to read
something a second time to understand it.

At the lower level, even sentences are allowed to repeat themselves a lot more
in speech than in writing. Where a written story may use a pronoun, speech is
more likely to repeat the full noun for emphasis. You can also use the trick
of repeating a phrase with different vocal characteristics to emphasize it,
which simply doesn't translate into writing without being awkward.

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j_baker
Even in writing it's a good practice to beat a dead horse, albeit maybe not as
much.

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alaithea
One of my pet peeves is when people repeat themselves too often. Maybe I am
more computer than human.

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PieSquared
I second this. I sometimes notice people talking to me and repeating the same
thing 3, 4 times, just with different words. Please! It gets on my nerves a
bit. Say it once, I'll ask if I don't understand. If _you_ need _me_ to
understand, and want assurance that I have, repeat it twice and feel free to
ask 'Got it?'

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alaithea
I think some of this problem could be averted by better communication skills
on _our_ part. If I notice someone repeating something to me, maybe it means
they don't think I've gotten it, so the best response would be to say it back
to them in my own words. I've found this technique to be marvelous when I can
remember to use it. ;)

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j_baker
Also, nodding your head occasionally will do wonders.

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mrcode925
It would have been nice for the author to recognize that the reason that we
have the DRY principle is because there is a natural need to repeat. If
information and processes didn't need to be repeated then DRY wouldn't exist
in the first place.

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breck
Interesting, could you explain a little bit more. Are you saying the default
human behavior is to repeat yourself?

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allenbrunson
I would say that's pretty close to true, yes. If you look at most successful
human communication, the important points are almost always repeated. If the
communicator is good, he will have rephrased things such that you don't
immediately notice that the same thing is being said over and over, but it's
definitely there.

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liquidben
So multiple exposures to content that's been slightly modulated each time will
result in greater user uptake, right?

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sophacles
This sometimes bites me.. I find myself frustrated when I am repeating myself.
I'm usually thinking, "but I said that like 2 minutes ago wtf". Nice
explaination.

