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Gender neutral

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edited Jun 22, 2016 at 16:57

Josh K

Things I Use

^{to great and not so great effect.}

Analogies: When explaining a situation or a process it really works well if you can put it into terms that they will understand.
Generic terms: Instead of saying HTML tags you could say code. If they follow up requesting an explanation it might be time for a brief summary of HTML and how it works. "Web pages are built out of blocks called "tags." If your browser doesn't support a specific tag the it won't be displayed correctly."
Summaries and Overviews: Sometimes it works well to give a brief synopses prior to hitting them upside the head with technical jargon.
Remove Jargon: Turn "The database isn't properly load balancing when hit by multiple requests from an IP subnet." into "The database is having trouble handling requests from certain people." If you might have to explain it, replace it with something else. If you have to explain database you're in trouble. "Place to store stuff" is my fallback.
Visual Aids: Whiteboards rock. Use them to your advantage.
Make them technical: Keeping managers, bosses, and coworkers in the loop helps. If the account manager is confused at meetings because everyone but himthem understands what I'm sayingwhat's being said, it might make himthem want to read those emails he wasthey were CC'ed on. Take time when writing memo'smemos or emails to explain yourself thoroughly or point to references for explanation. Having someone figure out what HTML is on their own will probably be better then trying to cram it into them during an important meeting.

Things I Use

^{to great and not so great effect.}

Analogies: When explaining a situation or a process it really works well if you can put it into terms that they will understand.
Generic terms: Instead of saying HTML tags you could say code. If they follow up requesting an explanation it might be time for a brief summary of HTML and how it works. "Web pages are built out of blocks called "tags." If your browser doesn't support a specific tag the it won't be displayed correctly."
Summaries and Overviews: Sometimes it works well to give a brief synopses prior to hitting them upside the head with technical jargon.
Remove Jargon: Turn "The database isn't properly load balancing when hit by multiple requests from an IP subnet." into "The database is having trouble handling requests from certain people." If you might have to explain it, replace it with something else. If you have to explain database you're in trouble. "Place to store stuff" is my fallback.
Visual Aids: Whiteboards rock. Use them to your advantage.
Make them technical: Keeping managers, bosses, and coworkers in the loop helps. If the account manager is confused at meetings because everyone but him understands what I'm saying, it might make him want to read those emails he was CC'ed on. Take time when writing memo's or emails to explain yourself thoroughly or point to references for explanation. Having someone figure out what HTML is on their own will probably be better then trying to cram it into them during an important meeting.

Things I Use

^{to great and not so great effect.}

Analogies: When explaining a situation or a process it really works well if you can put it into terms that they will understand.
Generic terms: Instead of saying HTML tags you could say code. If they follow up requesting an explanation it might be time for a brief summary of HTML and how it works. "Web pages are built out of blocks called "tags." If your browser doesn't support a specific tag the it won't be displayed correctly."
Summaries and Overviews: Sometimes it works well to give a brief synopses prior to hitting them upside the head with technical jargon.
Remove Jargon: Turn "The database isn't properly load balancing when hit by multiple requests from an IP subnet." into "The database is having trouble handling requests from certain people." If you might have to explain it, replace it with something else. If you have to explain database you're in trouble. "Place to store stuff" is my fallback.
Visual Aids: Whiteboards rock. Use them to your advantage.
Make them technical: Keeping managers, bosses, and coworkers in the loop helps. If the account manager is confused at meetings because everyone but them understands what's being said, it might make them want to read those emails they were CC'ed on. Take time when writing memos or emails to explain yourself thoroughly or point to references for explanation. Having someone figure out what HTML is on their own will probably be better then trying to cram it into them during an important meeting.

Source Link

created Oct 13, 2010 at 3:34

Josh K

Things I Use

^{to great and not so great effect.}

Analogies: When explaining a situation or a process it really works well if you can put it into terms that they will understand.
Generic terms: Instead of saying HTML tags you could say code. If they follow up requesting an explanation it might be time for a brief summary of HTML and how it works. "Web pages are built out of blocks called "tags." If your browser doesn't support a specific tag the it won't be displayed correctly."
Summaries and Overviews: Sometimes it works well to give a brief synopses prior to hitting them upside the head with technical jargon.
Remove Jargon: Turn "The database isn't properly load balancing when hit by multiple requests from an IP subnet." into "The database is having trouble handling requests from certain people." If you might have to explain it, replace it with something else. If you have to explain database you're in trouble. "Place to store stuff" is my fallback.
Visual Aids: Whiteboards rock. Use them to your advantage.
Make them technical: Keeping managers, bosses, and coworkers in the loop helps. If the account manager is confused at meetings because everyone but him understands what I'm saying, it might make him want to read those emails he was CC'ed on. Take time when writing memo's or emails to explain yourself thoroughly or point to references for explanation. Having someone figure out what HTML is on their own will probably be better then trying to cram it into them during an important meeting.