Your non-technical boss just asked you to explain a complex networking issue. What’s your first move?

1 Assess the situation

Before you start explaining anything, you need to understand what your boss wants to know and why. Is he looking for a quick overview, a detailed analysis, or a solution? Is he curious, concerned, or frustrated? Is he asking you in private, in front of your colleagues, or in front of a client? Depending on the context, you may need to adjust your tone, level of detail, and delivery method.

2 Simplify the issue

Once you have a clear idea of your boss's expectations and emotions, you can start simplifying the issue for him. You don't want to overwhelm him with technical jargon, acronyms, or diagrams. Instead, you want to use simple language, analogies, and examples that he can relate to. For example, if you're explaining how a firewall works, you can compare it to a security guard who checks the identity and purpose of visitors before letting them in or out of a building.

3 Focus on the impact

While you're simplifying the issue, you also want to focus on the impact that it has on your company's goals, customers, and stakeholders. You want to show your boss how the issue affects the bottom line, the user experience, and the reputation of your company. For example, if you're explaining why the network is slow, you can mention how it reduces productivity, causes frustration, and damages customer loyalty.

4 Provide options and recommendations

After you've explained the issue and its impact, you want to provide options and recommendations for solving it. You want to show your boss that you have a plan, that you've considered the pros and cons of each option, and that you have a preferred choice. For example, if you're explaining how to upgrade the network infrastructure, you can present the costs, benefits, and risks of different vendors, technologies, and timelines.

6 Follow up

After you've explained the issue and received feedback from your boss, you want to follow up with him. You want to confirm the next steps, the responsibilities, and the deadlines for solving the issue. You also want to keep him updated on the progress, the results, and the challenges that you encounter along the way. You can use email, phone, or face-to-face communication depending on the urgency and importance of the issue.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?