People don’t want to appear stupid. Therefore they will neglect to ask questions if they perceive they are expected to understand the topic at hand. This is a natural and prevalent human insecurity. I know it is true for me because I experience it every day with my 9-year-old son. This kid knows so much about Pokemon it is mind-boggling. Every day he is telling me stuff, complicated information and I just can’t seem to learn it or retain it. I am at the point now where I just do not ask questions any more. Why? Well he is 9 and of course when I ask a question on something he already explained he does get mad…but then he is only 9. But I think you get my point. I don’t ask because I don’t want to appear stupid.

As an advisor, it is much safer to stop in your discussions and define an industry term rather than assume they know what it means. It is better to have the client tell you they already know that than it is to breeze through under the assumption that they do comprehend. Again, the idea is to educate the client so they can make decisions. By taking the time to be sure they understand you will be building a much higher level of trust- and you will help them make smart decisions.