Daniel Tallentire
I’m an Engineering Manager at Citation Group. I build software, teams and systems to giving the best opportunities for success. I have 18 years of experience working in both SaaS & on-prem software companies. I helped shape product and technical direction both as a software engineer, manager and director. I focus on working out what the next most important problem to solve is, then solving that. To do this I have reorganized teams, built new products, spent weeks on-site with customers, hired and grown staff, created new internal systems. I do this with an emphasis on making life better for those who will be on the journey too – the customers, the engineers who I support, and our other internal teams.
Engineering Manager @ The Citation Group
Jar-gone... how to talk tech to non-techies
Session Type: Talk
Your system is down. Support are struggling with the phone calls. The big boss demands answers. You know exactly what the problem is, but as you explain, eyes glaze over. The more detail you provide, the more frustrated you sense they are becoming. Have you been there too?
Every day around the world, brilliant engineers solve complex problems worth millions. Yet when explaining those solutions, we might as well be speaking Klingon.
This isn't dumbing things down. It's about wielding communication as a superpower that transforms careers, prevents disasters, and builds bridges between engineering and the rest of the business.
In this practical, story-driven talk, you'll discover:
- - Why smart people sound confusing – and the three mental traps that make us difficult to understand
- - The SOAR framework adapted for technical communication – the same structure that wins interviews now helps you explain any technical concept
- - Battle-tested metaphors that help understanding – from "technical debt as credit cards" to "APIs as restaurant menus"
- - My 2-minute explanation template that works for everything from bug reports to board presentations
Drawing from 15+ years across startups, scale-ups, and enterprises, I'll share the communication patterns that separate engineers who get stuck from those who become indispensable.
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