Best Ways to Summarize Engineering Concepts

Why Every Engineer Needs to Master the Art of Communication (If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough) As engineers, we spend years mastering technical skills—coding, system design, algorithms. But there’s one skill that many overlook: Communication. Here’s the hard truth: If you can’t explain it simply, you probably don’t understand it well enough. Early in my career, I focused entirely on technical mastery. I thought my work would speak for itself. But I soon realized that no matter how well I coded or designed a solution, if I couldn't clearly explain my ideas, they wouldn’t go anywhere. Here’s why communication is crucial for engineers: 1. Collaboration with Non-Technical Stakeholders You might be the best at building scalable systems, but if you can’t communicate the "why" and "how" to a product manager or executive, your work can be undervalued. They need to understand the impact, not the intricacies. 2. Gaining Buy-In for Your Ideas Great ideas fail when they aren’t understood. Whether you're pitching a new feature to your team or presenting at a tech review, clarity can make or break your case. 3. Teaching and Mentoring An engineer who can explain concepts simply can become an effective mentor. Teaching others solidifies your understanding and elevates your entire team’s capabilities. The goal is not to use the biggest words or the most jargon. The goal is to break down complex concepts in a way that anyone—even someone without your technical background—can understand. How to Master This Skill? 1. Practice the Feynman Technique: Try explaining a complex idea to a friend who knows nothing about it. If they understand, you’ve nailed it. 2. Ask for Feedback: After a presentation or meeting, ask if everyone understood. Actively look for ways to improve your clarity. 3. Simplify, Don’t Dumb Down: Use analogies, visual examples, and simple language to convey complex ideas. Engineering is about building things. But great engineering? That’s about building understanding. Your turn: How do you work on improving your communication skills as an engineer? Follow me for insights on Leadership, System Design, & Career Growth.

I didn't turn up to my presentation for Deutsche Bank and AnitaB.org. I prepared the slides. I put a lot of thought into why each and every tip was important. Yet at the end of the day, I wasn't there... I was sick 🤢 Still, their loss is your gain, because I've turned everything from that presentation into a blog post for your convenience! 🥳 In it, I cover the core of presenting technical concepts and/or digitalisation proposals to non-technical stakeholders. SPOILER: it's more about listening and watching than it is about convincing! Here's the summary for those not wanting to read the whole thing: 🧐 Speak their language: ask about existing knowledge and establish what 'level' the stakeholder wants to speak at. No need to jump into architecture if they only want to know about personnel requirements. 😳 Cater to the lowest level in the room: Try to modify your explanations so that everyone gets it. Even those with more technical experience can learn from hearing a non-technical explanation. 🤩 Focus on collaboration and co-creation: Don't view it as a pitch, but rather as a chance to design a solution together. Be open to "teach don't preach" if they do look for more details. 👏 Be direct about resistance: Communicate options, and interpret resistance as an opportunity to put their minds at ease or to design a different solution together. 🤫 Practice active listening: 'Listening' sometimes happens with the eyes, not the ears. Look for moments when people tune out, change topics, or fidget more. You're losing your audience! 🚙 Use metaphors: Bridges, factories, post offices, architecture, and housing construction have all been metaphors I have used for explaining software engineering concepts to non-technical stakeholders. 🧙🏻♀️ Incorporate storytelling: Where possible, use real-world stories to illustrate processes, for example on how software engineering teams work using agile approaches, or versioning control. 😎 Be their resource: View these talks as the start of your relationship beyond this specific project. Position yourself to be their 'go to tech person' when they need something clarified. --- What do you think? #engineeringmanagement #technicalcommunication #strategiccommunication #pitching https://lnkd.in/eNQ5stUW

No one is going to perceive you as brilliant because you communicate ideas in a convoluted manner. When I have to communicate technical concepts to a broader audience, I always try to follow this checklist: 1 - Stay at the right level of complexity. Avoid technical details that are not essential for your audience. Provide enough information and evidence to support your claims and show your credibility, but don’t overwhelm your audience with too much data or details that are not relevant or useful for them. 2 - Choose terms that are meaningful for your audience. Use words and phrases that your audience is familiar with and can relate to. Avoid jargon and acronyms. Explain any new or unfamiliar terms that you need to use and provide a clear definition or example. 3 - Balance clarity and technical precision. Use analogies, metaphors, visuals and examples to make abstract or complex concepts more concrete and relatable. Is this kind of explanation not technically perfect? It doesn't matter, you are not defending your thesis. Once I have all the checks, I practice the speech at least twice. This helps me refine my delivery, catch any errors, and boost my confidence. Today’s image is by my colleague Roberto Ferraro.

When you're communicating, shoot for simple. Not simplistic. Albert Einstein famously said "if you can't explain something simply, you don't it well enough." Simple is clear, not clever. It's elegant. There are tons of ways to practice this. But this one is I'm going to share is my favorite. You've heard of it before, I'm sure: the Feynman technique. Here's how you do it. 1. Grab a piece of paper and write down a topic at the top. 2. Write whatever you know about the topic. 3. If you have a gap in your knowledge, that's okay. 4. Leave a space or put a question mark as a placeholder. 5. Underline anything you're shaky on. Come back to polish it later. But here's where your communication gets clear: Eliminate jargon. Replace jargon with an explanation of that concept in layman's terms. Spell out acronyms and abbreviations. For example, SDLC is the software development lifecycle. Simplify your sentences. Use active voice. Eliminate adverbs, adjectives, and gerunds. Remove compound sentences (using and, or, or but). For example, I coordinated a team of 10 people to complete a project. Keep lists to three items or less. For example, the tree main ingredients in bread are flour, yeast, and water. One subject and one verb per sentence. For example, Sam bought groceries. Now what you're going to say is easier to follow and easier to understand. Apply this to your LinkedIn profile, resume, and interview responses. You'll get better responses. -- 👋 Hi, I'm Jonathan. I help people in tech turn interviews into job offers. #techjobs #jobseekers #newgrads #students #interviewpreparation

Let's understand how to communicate technical concepts to Non-technical stakeholders. 1. Use Analogies and Metaphors: One of the best ways to explain technical concepts is to relate them to something more familiar. Example: If you're explaining cloud storage, you could compare it to a bank. Just as we store money in a bank rather than keeping it at home, we store data in the cloud rather than on our local machines. 2. Visual Aids and Diagrams: A picture can often convey what words cannot. Example: If explaining how a database works, a simple diagram showing how data is input, stored, retrieved, and displayed can be more intuitive than a lengthy description. 3. Simplify the Language: Avoid jargon and technical terms as much as possible. Example: Instead of saying "We're migrating the database to a new server," you might say "We're moving our data to a new home to make things run smoother." 4. Stories and Use Cases: Describe how a technical feature or change translates to a real-world scenario or use case that the stakeholder can relate to. Example: If introducing a new authentication feature, you can describe a story where "Mary, a user, logs in, and instead of just a password, she now also confirms her identity using a code on her phone, ensuring her data remains even safer." 5. Relate to Business Objectives: Stakeholders care about the impact on the business. Always link technical changes or features to business benefits. Example: If suggesting the adoption of a new tech stack, explain how "This new technology can help us deliver features to our customers 20% faster, which means more revenue in the long run." 6. Interactive Demonstrations: Sometimes, showing is more effective than telling. Example: If introducing a new software tool, rather than describing its features, give a quick live demo to show its advantages. 7. Feedback Loops: After explaining, always ask for feedback or questions. This ensures that the listener understands and provides an opportunity to clarify any doubts. Example: After discussing a new data analytics tool, you might ask, "Does this make sense in terms of how you foresee using the data for your quarterly reports?" 8. Use Real Numbers: When discussing technical improvements, using quantifiable metrics can help stakeholders grasp the impact. Example: Instead of saying "Our website will load faster," say "Our website will load in 2 seconds instead of 10, improving user satisfaction and potentially increasing our sales." 9. Reiterate Importance Without Technicalities: Even if they don’t understand all technical aspects, stakeholders should walk away knowing why it's essential. Example: If suggesting a cybersecurity upgrade, you might say, "While the technicalities are complex, the bottom line is that this change makes our customer data much safer from potential threats." BA Helpline #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #businessanalysts #ba #stakeholders #stakeholdermanagement