5 ms·

I have to say this part (and quite a few other parts of the post) come across as quite arrogant. I mean if he really wants the computer with the smallest box, w

I have to say this part (and quite a few other parts of the post) come across as quite arrogant. I mean if he really wants the computer with the smallest box, why can't he explain why. I agree with the general gist of the post: don't be afraid to ask stupid questions. However, the post has an underlying "feeling" of "my questions are not really stupid, I'm just so smart that others don't realise". I know that I ask plenty of stupid questions when I ask questions, I often realise how stupid they were just after the answer.

kevinmgranger 5y ago
I think this interaction is an example of what "the customer is always right" is supposed to mean. Sure, the salesperson should verify that the person isn't using mistaken terminology, but past that, why not just help them? Or why didn't the salesperson take the initiative to ask them for the reason, instead of continuing to insist they were mistaken?
- mbauman 5y ago
  But they did help him. I don't see this as a huge indictment on the rep here — they _do_ deal with people who are very ignorant of tech everyday. Maybe it took a while to convince them, but I think that's just as likely a failing of communication. > I eventually asked them to humor me and just bring out the boxes for the various laptop models so I could see the boxes, which they did, despite clearly thinking that my decision making process made no sense
NiceWayToDoIT 5y ago
I think it is measure of time, for author it looks simple to put everything in few words instead of having long explanation, I find this typical in IT, where my coworkers all the time trying to compress explanation in fewest words possible. Maybe laziness or type of optimization, but usually back fires as other people ask you multiple questions, arising from their own point of view.
- dangerface 5y ago
  [flagged]
  - h2odragon 5y ago
    Our genuine joy and excitement about the minute details of subnetting or data compression or whatever; during those explanations often doesn't help either. I scare people when im enthused about something. Its a bitch.
  - karmelapple 5y ago
    > Non technical people only have the patience to learn / listen to very basic concepts. I know many people who would consider themselves non-technical, yet who certainly take the time to learn complex concepts. Some of those are indeed technological concepts. > I try to give short simple examples because when I try to tell people the truth their eyes glaze over and their brain turns off while the nerd talks his techno jumble. The short simple examples you give are also truthful, correct? Perhaps the additional information you'd like to explain simply isn't needed for the other person's goal. A great way to have both technical and non-technical people's eyes glaze over is detailing all kinds of minute details before describing some of the high-level goals or giving context as to why you're getting so deep into the details. As you mention, simple examples can get a lot across, and can be a springboard to more questions being asked, to allow the other person to decide what depth of knowledge they would like to know. The non-technical person you're talking to may very well have the patience to learn the deep technical truth you'd like to explain, but they may have no reason to know it. In the scenario you're thinking of, you're doing the technical work, not them, correct? So why would they need to know deep technical details? A basic outline, with some corner cases pointed out, is likely all they need. Not because they don't have patience to learn what you're explaining, but because they have other things that are more important to their or your organization's success.
  - joeberon 5y ago
    > Non technical people only have the patience to learn / listen to very basic concepts. What a stupidly arrogant comment. Have you not heard of philosophy, for example?
jszymborski 5y ago
I frankly had the same impression. It felt it was less about the willingness to look to stupid, but rather the stupidity of people who surrounded him and their inability to see this individual's brilliance. Perhaps this is an unkind reading, but particularly the laptop scenario felt telling that this person might feel above explaining why they might prefer a laptop which comes in a smaller box. On the surface that is very much a ridiculous request, regardless of how sensible it might actually be. Surely that shouldn't stop you from making the request, but you must understand that someone is merely doing their job to make sure that you understand what you're asking for. If I go to a tuba shop and ask how many litres of ranch dressing it holds, I'm not going to scoff when the salesperson reminds me that it isn't a fancy brass bowl.
- davidivadavid 5y ago
  Yeah, this looks like a typical case of the "XY problem" where it's really hard to tell if the person making the request is framing that request wrongly/with unnecessary constraints to satisfy what they actually want.
  - myohmy 5y ago
    This is why I look for sales training in my hires. Its clear that the Apple rep was asking probing questions trying to wrestle him into a decision funnel. I've sold laptops to a bunch of grandmas who've given me questions like that, and never to a "CPU designer". ...come to think of it, maybe one of the grandmas was a CPU designer all a long!!
    - davidivadavid 5y ago
      She's probably fuming right now that you dared ask her a concrete question about what she wanted.
      - genewitch 5y ago
        What could possibly be more concrete than "bring me the computer what comes in the smallest box"?
seoulmetro 5y ago
>"my questions are not really stupid, I'm just so smart that others don't realise" Sounds like this was the point of the blog post. He also drops that he was "very good" at Overwatch and "#1 in the world". Usually the people who want to tell others about this in public are not very good. The ones who are very good are the ones who only tell you after you've tried teaching them. Since bad players in games often can't tell what good players look like, or how they play.

kevinmgranger 5y ago

I think this interaction is an example of what "the customer is always right" is supposed to mean. Sure, the salesperson should verify that the person isn't using mistaken terminology, but past that, why not just help them? Or why didn't the salesperson take the initiative to ask them for the reason, instead of continuing to insist they were mistaken?

mbauman 5y ago
But they did help him. I don't see this as a huge indictment on the rep here — they _do_ deal with people who are very ignorant of tech everyday. Maybe it took a while to convince them, but I think that's just as likely a failing of communication. > I eventually asked them to humor me and just bring out the boxes for the various laptop models so I could see the boxes, which they did, despite clearly thinking that my decision making process made no sense

NiceWayToDoIT 5y ago

I think it is measure of time, for author it looks simple to put everything in few words instead of having long explanation, I find this typical in IT, where my coworkers all the time trying to compress explanation in fewest words possible. Maybe laziness or type of optimization, but usually back fires as other people ask you multiple questions, arising from their own point of view.

dangerface 5y ago
[flagged]
- h2odragon 5y ago
  Our genuine joy and excitement about the minute details of subnetting or data compression or whatever; during those explanations often doesn't help either. I scare people when im enthused about something. Its a bitch.
- karmelapple 5y ago
  > Non technical people only have the patience to learn / listen to very basic concepts. I know many people who would consider themselves non-technical, yet who certainly take the time to learn complex concepts. Some of those are indeed technological concepts. > I try to give short simple examples because when I try to tell people the truth their eyes glaze over and their brain turns off while the nerd talks his techno jumble. The short simple examples you give are also truthful, correct? Perhaps the additional information you'd like to explain simply isn't needed for the other person's goal. A great way to have both technical and non-technical people's eyes glaze over is detailing all kinds of minute details before describing some of the high-level goals or giving context as to why you're getting so deep into the details. As you mention, simple examples can get a lot across, and can be a springboard to more questions being asked, to allow the other person to decide what depth of knowledge they would like to know. The non-technical person you're talking to may very well have the patience to learn the deep technical truth you'd like to explain, but they may have no reason to know it. In the scenario you're thinking of, you're doing the technical work, not them, correct? So why would they need to know deep technical details? A basic outline, with some corner cases pointed out, is likely all they need. Not because they don't have patience to learn what you're explaining, but because they have other things that are more important to their or your organization's success.
- joeberon 5y ago
  > Non technical people only have the patience to learn / listen to very basic concepts. What a stupidly arrogant comment. Have you not heard of philosophy, for example?

jszymborski 5y ago

I frankly had the same impression. It felt it was less about the willingness to look to stupid, but rather the stupidity of people who surrounded him and their inability to see this individual's brilliance. Perhaps this is an unkind reading, but particularly the laptop scenario felt telling that this person might feel above explaining why they might prefer a laptop which comes in a smaller box. On the surface that is very much a ridiculous request, regardless of how sensible it might actually be. Surely that shouldn't stop you from making the request, but you must understand that someone is merely doing their job to make sure that you understand what you're asking for. If I go to a tuba shop and ask how many litres of ranch dressing it holds, I'm not going to scoff when the salesperson reminds me that it isn't a fancy brass bowl.

davidivadavid 5y ago
Yeah, this looks like a typical case of the "XY problem" where it's really hard to tell if the person making the request is framing that request wrongly/with unnecessary constraints to satisfy what they actually want.
- myohmy 5y ago
  This is why I look for sales training in my hires. Its clear that the Apple rep was asking probing questions trying to wrestle him into a decision funnel. I've sold laptops to a bunch of grandmas who've given me questions like that, and never to a "CPU designer". ...come to think of it, maybe one of the grandmas was a CPU designer all a long!!
  - davidivadavid 5y ago
    She's probably fuming right now that you dared ask her a concrete question about what she wanted.
    - genewitch 5y ago
      What could possibly be more concrete than "bring me the computer what comes in the smallest box"?

seoulmetro 5y ago

>"my questions are not really stupid, I'm just so smart that others don't realise" Sounds like this was the point of the blog post. He also drops that he was "very good" at Overwatch and "#1 in the world". Usually the people who want to tell others about this in public are not very good. The ones who are very good are the ones who only tell you after you've tried teaching them. Since bad players in games often can't tell what good players look like, or how they play.