I’ve often felt that there should be an etiquette guide for pair programming. Here is a first stab. I’ll update this list as I think of more.

Navigator:

• Wait until the test is passing to nitpick on coding standards.
• Ask nicely for the keyboard to “show” what you mean.
• After “showing” what you mean, offer the keyboard back.
• If they don’t take your advice, let them finish doing the task their way and then show them after they’re done.
• It is good to inform the driver of keyboard shortcuts and refactorings but don’t interrupt the programming flow too much with advice that is not directly related to the programming task.

Driver:

• Don’t ignore or get frustrated when your pair tells you a better way to do something.
• Auto-format so your navigator can read your code easier.
• Don’t be stubborn about giving up the keyboard when your navigator seems to know what they’re talking about.
• If the navigator is confused by what you’re doing, talk them through it by having a whiteboard conversation.