How do you explain a concept to someone not in your field? Or to the new guy? Here's my take.
Firstly, be warm and polite.
Your facial expression should be welcoming and not the opposite. Your facial expression shouldn't infer that the question was stupid. Thank the person for asking if necessary. It takes courage to ask a question.
Politely decline if you can't answer the question.
Secondly, explain the concepts in a relatable way.
Use everyday objects and scenarios to guide your explanations.
It makes it more interesting.
If you can, avoid technical jargon (common words used in a particular field or industry). Which of these two statements is easier for a layman? "We tell computers what to do using a programming language" or "A programming language is any set of rules that convert strings, or graphical program elements in the case of visual programming languages, to various kinds of machine code output."
After explaining in simple terms, you may introduce the technical word. For example, "The technical term for so and so is....".
Finally, you may refer the person to a material that explains the topic better.
Thank you for reading.
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