How do you deal with the mental load from "just explain that high level to me" request from co-workers?<p>Most of my work, either in exec or specialist roles, is fairly complicated and needs context. I am disturbed when people expect to understand why it's taking the time it takes without any context at all. I have my way to explain simply, but it always feels awkward.<p>How do you deal with that problem, how does that make you feel?
A good question about communication that caught ny eye.<p>In my experience, aint no such thing as a "high level". I think what
people sometimes ask us is "Can you explain this so it makes sense to
<i>me</i>?". Knowing who the <i>"me"</i> is (what they want and why), is the
key.<p>Communication is always tailored. It exists in a context in which the
recipient is "held in mind". And it's dialogical, so you can jam it
and ask "What would be the important things for you to know?".<p>It can make you feel put upon, and that it devalues your detailed
knowledge. The words "high level" often get someones goat because of
the lofty assumption. Everyone sees themself as at the "top" of their
information pile. Many years ago I felt that people asking "give me
the view from 30,000ft" were just lazy and entitled. I've come to
regard crafting succinct help as poetry to enjoy.<p>If you're the person asking that question it helps to introduce
yourself, your role and needs - even if you think the person you are
asking "should know" who you are. So I might say "As chief widget
wrangler, what should I know about..."
In my experience it's a skill that takes time to develop. It's hard at first for sure. There are lots of different models out there that people using for visualizing software and architecture, sometimes they can be helpful.<p>A piece of guidance that helped me a lot was this: "when looking at boxes and lines, the junior architect looks at the boxes - the experienced architect looks at the lines."