Explaining
Simple, deep, simple
Take a listener into detail without losing them there.
The shape
- Simple overview
- Necessary depth
- Simple recap
Why that order
The listener needs a mental map before entering the detail, and a way back to the main meaning after it. Detail entered without a map is where people quietly stop following and do not say so.
A worked example
In simple terms, the system is failing because two services are competing for the same resource. Technically, Service A holds the connection pool while Service B waits for the same pool to free. So the takeaway is that we need to change how those two share it.
What usually goes wrong
Making the middle as long as it would have been anyway. The depth is meant to be the necessary depth.
Practise it
Knowing the shape is about ten minutes of work. Running it while somebody senior is looking at you is a different thing, and that is what these are for.
Mostly serves Message, and reaches into Connection.
A framework tells you what shape the answer takes. It cannot tell you whether shape is what you are short of, and for most people it is not. Which one is yours, and whether a framework is the right instrument at all, is what a Discovery Call is for.
Take the AssessmentOr read the whole glossary first.