jay-h (11/29/2012)
"don't explain too much" is an excellent bit of advice for any technical discussion.Of course it goes without saying that you don't misrepresent the situation, talk down or over simplify, but excess explanation so often moves the discussion away from the critical point at hand. If your listener wants more info, by all means provide it freely, but don't unnecessarily muddy the water.
Part of the job of a skilled tech person is to strip away (through intelligent analysis) all the complex detail and reduce a messy problem to its critical aspects. It's the inept technician who can't reduce the problem to core principles.
I agree Jay, you should not explain too much. Get your point across and end it there. If they need more then give it as needed. That said, you should also not just assume your manager is technically ignorant either. Many of them came through the ranks and know very well what you are talking about. Don't just assume because they are a manager that they only understand widgets and bean counts. Like I said before, it pays to know your audience.:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"