Anna Nikulina

Lead of Software Engineering team

I am an Android developer who has been in the field since before Android Studio existed, with a deep understanding of both technical development and leadership. Over the years, I’ve led teams of software engineers, managed cross-feature and cross-platform teams, and successfully navigated communication across various technical and business roles. I have also spoken at local meet-ups, sharing insights on a variety of technical topics (though not specifically on this one).

Engineering Communication: The Leader's Playbook for Developing High-Impact ICs

The Challenge: Your best Individual Contributors (ICs) might be technical wizards, but their career trajectory—and your team's efficiency—is often hampered by ineffective communication. Time lost to unclear requirements, redundant meetings, and misaligned priorities is a direct tax on your engineering output and their potential. The Focus: This talk provides engineering managers, CTOs, and tech leads with a practical framework for actively coaching and guiding ICs to become better, more strategic communicators. We'll move beyond generic advice to explore hands-on, actionable strategies that leaders can implement immediately. You Will Learn How To: Establish Cross-Functional Clarity: Equip ICs with the tools and language to interface effectively with Product Managers, UI/UX, and QA. Learn how to leverage existing developer tooling and AI to create communication bridges that reduce friction and cycle time. Optimize Meeting ROI: Shift the team culture from passive attendance to active, outcome-driven engagement. Discover leadership techniques to define, enforce, and facilitate meetings that consistently achieve their goal, minimizing wasted time for your high-value developers. Maximize Professional Development (and ROI): Guide ICs to be proactive, high-impact representatives of the team—whether in an internal meeting or at an industry conference. Learn how to coach them to build meaningful connections, ask strategic questions, and translate external learnings directly back into team value. Outcome: By embedding a culture of high-impact communication, leaders can unlock the next level of performance in their ICs, accelerate career development, and significantly boost overall team productivity.