As a web developer and marketer, I am at fault to using complex or abstract jargon most clients aren’t used to. I have made the mistake many times of not staying in the mindset of the people who I am working with or educating on topics. Its easy to be who you are and chit chat with newbies while showing off your awesome web powers. Most of us are in this business to grow and teach people how to do better. Lets take a minute and figure out how to effectively teach people utilizing methods which I have had success with in teaching.

Photo Credit: mrbens

Stop and Think

Right away when I have a new client and project I have to stop and think. If we are quick to assume (ass+u+me), we will definitely make an ass out of ourselves and even worse further confuse the clients creating wasted time on the job. This time spent thinking can best be spent formulating questions about the client/person you are teaching/explaining something to. Here are a few questions I will come up with:

• What is the client/persons level of expertise?
• What exactly will they be doing in this project?
• How many people do I need to teach this to?

Get in the Clients Mindset

Ideally, before even engaging with your client you will have a gauge of how to communicate with the client on the tasks at hand. Take five minutes, close your eyes and figure out the way in which you have to communicate and teach to your client. 90% of my clients haven’t the slightest clue what Flash, PHP and Internet Marketing are. This means I have to break down to them in a simple and understandable mannor what I will be doing and how this will effect their company or maybe even change the way they think about the internet. If you can bring yourself back to the days when you didn’t have a clue about HTML, then go forward from there you will be able to communicate your ideas and build better relationships with your clients.

Grow With Your Clients

Heres where you can start sounding like a condesending jackass to your clients. If you teach and teach all of this new stuff to your clients about blogging, marketing or coding and continue to talk to them like ‘children’ they will instantly feel belittled. Do not forget your clients have now grown with you and are slowly becoming ready for a higher level of teaching. Like any school environment, you aren’t taught 1st grade math for 10 years, you grow and think on new levels everyday. Do the same with your clients.

These lessons have helped me gain a new level of understanding in working with people of all expertise levels. My wife, for instance, has been subjected to my awesome web powers and not understood a single word coming out of my mouth. Don’t make this mistake with your clients. I have clients who to this day, no matter what I teach, still do not understand anything I say. It is perfectly fine with me, I have learning and listened to them and how to better accommodate them in the future.

Have you had success in communicating with your clients? Share some success/mistake stories with us.