- People often communicate indirectly at work, using hints and polite language to avoid conflict, but technical people may not pick up on these cues.
- Technical experts prefer to be told the desired outcome, constraints, timeline, and motivation, not the exact method of execution.
- Indirect communication (hints, stories) risks misunderstanding because technical people are trained to focus on explicit facts, not read between the lines.
- To effectively communicate with technical people, be explicit about what you need and why, while leaving room for them to decide how to achieve it.