![]() ![]() An attendee at one of my communications training classes described it aptly as “Barney communications.” Don’t insult people by assuming that they’re only as intelligent as a three-year-old. #4: Avoid talking down to peopleĪvoid the other extreme as well. The father clapped the young man on the back and congratulated him, thinking the latter was a commanding officer. When the father asked the young man to talk about himself, the latter replied, nervously, that he was a CO. The woman was nervous because the boyfriend was a conscientious objector. A young woman brought her boyfriend home to meet her father, a retired military officer. A story from the Vietnam War era further illustrates this point. For example, both “active server page” and “application service provider” have the acronym ASP. ![]() Doing so avoids the scenario of situation normal, all fouled up (SNAFU).Įven within IT, the same acronym can mean different things. They’re important, but if you use them, define them in “longhand,” followed by the acronyms in (parentheses), so that everyone’s clear. Remember, the people you’re talking to probably lack your specialized knowledge, so you should use readily understandable terms. Symptoms of such behavior include the use of jargon and acronyms. When you explain things to people, do their eyes glaze over? Chances are it’s because you’re talking over their head. Repeating the question for the entire group helps everyone better understand your answer. This step is particularly important if you’re in a group setting, and you’ve just taken a question from someone in the audience. To minimize confusion and misunderstanding, try to paraphrase or summarize a question before you answer it. A better attitude is to be happy that the other person is interested enough to ask questions. It’s easy to become annoyed when someone is asking questions. Don’t be the person customers complain about as using “geek speak.” #2: Listen and respond to questions Something that might be perfectly understandable to you might be incomprehensible to someone else. Keep this idea in mind when explaining a concept. Two people can look at that same picture, and they can have opposite views of what they’re seeing. You’ve probably seen the famous illusion that looks like either a young woman or an old woman. Note: This information is also available as a PDF download. Here are a few tips to help make your explanations understandable and useful. The ability to explain things clearly and effectively can help you in your career, as well. Having them understand you is important not only for technical reasons, but also to ensure customer satisfaction. In the course of your work, you may sometimes need to explain technical concepts to your customers. Here are a few tips to help make your explanations more understandable and useful. 10 ways to explain things more effectively ![]()
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