Explaining
Teach back
Test whether the thing landed instead of assuming it did.
The problem it addresses
Asking does that make sense, which reliably produces yes and proves nothing.
The shape
- Explain
- Listener explains it back
- Identify the misunderstanding
- Clarify
- Verify again
A worked example
- Manager
- Can you explain back what you understand about the new escalation process?
- Employee
- Production issues go straight to the incident channel, and normal requests stay in the ticketing system.
- Manager
- Correct, except urgent security issues also bypass the normal queue.
You have it right when
The misunderstanding is found before it becomes an operational problem.
What usually goes wrong
Using it as a test the other person can fail. If it feels like an examination, the next answer will be a performance.
Used in
Where this shape does its work in a real situation.
Mostly serves Connection, and reaches into Message.
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.