well, education works. sometimes still, they don’t care. Business types i feel are more geared towards results oriented explanations. If A then B, or if C then D… that whole thing. Some people are really surprising still…

I just tell them the real facts and if they don’t get it, I think at least they understand that I do.

This is something i learned really early in the piece (working at a web design firm in sydney).. my boss at the time was a wizard when it came to “dumbing things down” as she liked to call it… and spending 3 years working there REALLY helped me master that technique.

Since then it’s been invaluable, being able to talk design with designers, code with programmers and both topics with morons(or technoweenies - depending on which you prefer) is really important to my day to day life as a freelancer.

In both of these cases, show them you know what it takes to get the job done and done right. Stand your ground on either front! You will find, however, that if you let them be the experts in their industry, they will leave you alone when it comes time to weigh-in on yours. Ask them plenty of questions along the way. Make them feel as if they are contributing to the project through every step. I often find that ignoring the client’s expertise can awaken a sleeping giant at the end of the project. Make them feel like it’s their project too.

I’ve definitely agree with the results approach. Generally when I did more technical web work, my clients responded best when they knew what their options were, and what potential results or challenges they’d encounter as a result of those options.

Analogies are great as well. I used to talk about selecting SEO keywords in terms of “pantaloons” vs “jeans” and why you wouldn’t optimize for “pantaloons” because it’s not a keyword people often search for.

Or perhaps it’s because I think we should wear more pantaloons.