Ask a new colleague to explain the process, not just say they understand

From the communication training, the method I find most useful is to have the learner explain a process and identify where the steps do not yet connect.

“Do you understand?” often produces “yes.” Asking a new colleague what they would do after receiving an enquiry, and why, reveals more specific gaps.

Use a task close to their work

For example: a customer wants a new pack but has not provided a clear specification. Ask the colleague to explain, on one page, what information is available, what is missing, who makes the decisions and what should be delivered next.

This is a training scenario, not an actual customer record.

Listen for three parts

1. Inputs: What customer wording, use case, reference samples and expected conditions are available? Which items are assumptions?
2. Decisions: What can sales organise first, and what requires engineering or another owner’s assessment?
3. Outputs: Should this step produce a requirement brief, an assessment request or a customer response? What must be complete before the next step?

The colleague does not need to memorise every term. Explaining why an input is needed often matters more than naming it.

Questions for the listener

• “When you say approve the solution, which conditions need approval?”
• “Who makes this decision?”
• “If the customer has not provided that information, how would you ask?”
• “Which conclusion goes into the response, and which remains open?”

These questions locate learning gaps. They are not a reason to label someone as incapable.

When an explanation gets stuck

Mark the step, return to the process material or verify it with the responsible owner, then explain that part again. Asking someone to be more confident does not supply the missing information.

A short exercise

Spend ten minutes mapping the inputs, decisions and outputs of a process you own. Explain it in everyday language to a colleague unfamiliar with it, and ask them to identify two unclear points.

Explaining is one way to check understanding. Hesitation can also reflect experience, language or nerves. The purpose is to make the process clearer.

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Adapted from sales team training. Project details are generalised; examples do not report actual project outcomes.