Dumb it down
How to communicate technical things
It took you a variety of experiences and a number of years to get a clear picture in your head. When communicating with others, we usually assume that just because we have gone through this and are explaining things first hand, it’s equally clear to them.
But the assumption is where gaps in communication and understanding come from. These have a lot of consequences. The most important one being a waste of time and energy. This is especially true of technical things.
A simple way to avoid this is to dumb it down, or break it down into step by step actions, or an example. There are many ways, but the important thing is that they get the context and the content together.
The context gives them background. It puts them in your shoes. It gives them a feel for the situation you are in.
Then, give the content of what you want to say or show. Give examples if needed. Draw lines and shapes on a whiteboard if needed. The idea is to build the same picture that you see clearly in their heads, the way it would make sense to them.
One of the other ways to do it is to dumb it down enough to explain or teach it to a 5 year old (not exactly five). This forces you to understand it so well, that you can simplify it to that level.
This is a universal barrier in building systems, so it’s important to learn how to.