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How does a person get better at speaking in technical situations? I've been in the tech field for a loooong time now, but I really have trouble articulating my ideas. Someone else on my team can explain why our architecture isn't optimal because of X, and we should try to integrate Y because it buys us Z, and I usually can come up with some variation of "It sucks, because bad."

The things I want to say are generally the same as the person who makes sense, but my brain apparently has a disconnect between understanding it technically and being able to express it. I had kind of figured that by this time in my career I would have been exposed to this stuff so much that being able to talk about it would be easy, but it's not.

I've had Toastmasters suggested to me before, but I don't really need help talking in front of people. As long as I have time to prepare, I can do that kind of speaking with little trouble. I just want to be able to respond in meetings and informal situations and show that I do have a clue what I'm saying.

Comments
  • 0
    Simplify, and add humor.
    try to explain to someone why VPN traffic passes through the routing table twice, and make it as simple as possible. practice....
  • 0
    If you can't explain it in simple terms, you probably don't understand it in depth.
  • 1
    @dougheeren It is entirely possible that I've been faking it for the last 20+ years. Or, this could be another example of where I have difficulty communicating what this issue is. I can't precisely define it to myself, so it's even harder to explain to others. It's possible that I've been stuck at the micro level for so long that the macro is harder to describe.
  • 1
    @iamthechad doubtful but being able to articulate it is an indicator. I too have 20 years and recently realized I needed to study again like I was I was in college to further my abity to communicate and manage effectively.
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