Just know off the bat that you are not the only one

First know that you’re not alone. We have ALL been in this position. No one is born knowing what Infrastructure as a Service is. But the good news is you’re alive in the information era, where all the info you need is right at your fingertips…..if they are tapping on a keyboard…that’s also connected to the internet.

And now that you’re here let’s jump into it.

Start with what you DO know.

Whether you’re in a position where you need something and you don’t know how to describe it or you’re listening to a conversation and you have no clue what the other people are talking about, start with what you know. If you’re a business owner, you know the issues you are facing and what you need to accomplish. If you’re at work or you’re in conversations you can start with context clues. If you’re in a meeting that’s even better you can take notes. For capturing context clues, remember the main topic at hand and use surrounding text for the term you don’t understand. For those of us who have a hard time paying attention when we get caught up in certain thoughts. We may get lost in the “Oh no, I don’t understand that word and now I don’t understand what’s going on?” rabbit hole. Try to stay calm and remember you can go back to it later and if you’re brave enough ask the person to explain the process or term in more detail in the moment. The key thing here is to stay calm, take notes, and use context clues.

Being an expert does not make you exempt

A lot of us who work in tech or have worked in our fields for a long time sometimes forget that everyone doesn’t have the same level of understanding as we do. Otherwise, we would get hired for work. As experts we get so caught up in trying to sound like the expert that we lose our target audience, leads, and clients in the different stages of getting work. Asking the person speaking to explain concepts in simpler terms can also weed out the real experts versus the ones who just talk the talk. When it comes to complex skills like web development, IT consulting, and marketing sometimes people use buzzwords in that field to get clients to pay more money. Let them prove their expertise by asking more detailed questions until you fully understand what you are investing your money into.

Leverage what you have

Another thing you can do is leverage your resources, especially if you feel too embarrassed to ask the person speaking directly. You can use Google. Sounds simple but it does wonders and now we have AI even better. Use these resources to your advantage. Also…use…people…if you have people at arm’s length or within your network or circle who know the jargon you can understand, definitely find time to sit with them and ask for their help! People in tech love talking tech when we’re not under pressure AND believe it or not it also helps us understand our levels of expertise and the gaps we also may have when it comes to particular topics.

Let’s get weird, it will be fine

The biggest takeaway you should get from these experiences is to embrace the moment, it’s a moment of growth which is a great thing for all of us. I’ve been in the tech space for 10 years and in the marketing space for 3 years and there’s A LOT that I do not know and as an “expert” sometimes it does feel embarrassing not to know certain terms. But I usually take a step back, understand that I do not know everything and I can take a few moments to learn that term. For example just today I learned what a Tech Integrations Specialist is, and after researching it, it seems like something that may be my cup of tea. We will see. So embrace the discomfort and feel comforted that we’re all riding along this journey together!