Shoutout to the coffee shop in Portland where I overheard a graphic designer explaining a revision to a customer using only hand gestures and sound effects.

It was a masterclass in non-verbal communication, but I'm wondering if anyone else has a go-to method for explaining complex changes to someone who just doesn't get the technical terms.

3 comments

3 Comments

cora8131d ago

Oh that's brilliant. My friend who's a mechanic does something similar with car troubles. He'll just grab a pen and napkin to draw little pistons and squiggly lines for "weird noise," and point at parts on his own car while making faces. It cuts through all the jargon and the customer instantly gets the picture. Sometimes your hands explain what your words just can't.

blake_owens1d ago

Reminds me of my uncle trying to explain plumbing with a fork and a salt shaker, @cora813.

parker_hall512h ago

But sometimes all that hand-waving just makes things more confusing.