everyinc Jargon without explanation Technical terms, acronyms, or domain-specific language used without context. → "What does [term] mean in this context?"
Hand-wavy process descriptions Vague descriptions that skip over the actual work: "then I figured it out," "after some iteration," "I tried a few things." → "What specifically did you try? What happened?"
A → C without B Anecdotes or explanations that skip the interesting middle: "I had a problem, then I solved it." → "What happened between the problem and the solution? That's the story."
Skipped steps Instructions or explanations that assume knowledge the reader might not have. → "I think there's a step missing between [X] and [Y]. What goes there?"
Curse of knowledge Treating something as obvious when it's not. Often signaled by "obviously," "of course," "as everyone knows." → "This isn't obvious to me. Can you unpack it?"
"What does [term] mean here?" "Walk me through what actually happened between A and B." "You said 'after some experimentation'—what did you actually try?" "I think you're skipping a step. How did you get from [X] to [Y]?" "You're treating this as obvious, but I don't think it is."
These aren't in tension. Specificity creates clarity. Hand-waving creates confusion for everyone.