Stop Showing Your Workings

Why clients don’t need your maths, they need to have confidence in your competence.

Engineers love a good diagram. A neat calculation. We’re trained to make decisions based on evidence. To justify, clarify, and then append the appendix with an explanation of the assumptions we’ve made and the technical guidance we’ve followed.

BUT… clients don’t care!

Not in a dismissive way. They do care that the building stands up, that they can afford the solution you’ve proposed, and that they don’t need to lie awake at night wondering if their expensive floor tiles might crack. What they don’t care about is how you arrived at your conclusion. Not really. Not the workings. Not the internal logic tree you grew to reach your solution. Not the thousands of different influences you considered and evaluated.

Speak their language

Most clients don’t understand the nuances of the technical jargon we use. Why would they? We’re specialists. We do this every day. For them, it might be the only time they’ll ever read a structural report or hear the phrase “Creep deformation” So when we start to mention ULS, SLS, moment redistribution and partial factors, it’s no wonder they glaze over.

They don’t want to be overwhelmed. They want to be reassured. That’s our job. Not just to do the thing, but to guide them through the process without dragging them through the mud of it.

Be the Sat Nav, not the Algorithm

Think of yourself like Google Maps. When a client embarks on a project, they’re relying on you to guide them safely, and efficiently to their destination. They don’t need to know how the route was calculated. They just want to hear, “Turn left,” “There’s a delay ahead,” or “You’ll arrive by 4:15.”

They’re not asking for a breakdown of algorithm. They want to trust that you’ve done the thinking, evaluated the options, and chosen the best path. Engineering is like that. We hold the knowledge, but our role is to translate it.

Most clients aren’t looking for a data dump. They want to know that everything will be ok. And if something isn’t, it’s being managed. Or revised. Or mitigated. Or, if absolutely necessary, rethought.

Understand the emotional economy

Engineers tend to be rational thinkers. We’re logic-driven, evidence-based, and we like the comfort in knowing that 2+2 and 3+1 both equal 4. That’s fine, it’s part of what makes us good at our jobs. But let’s be clear: many clients don’t work like that.

They make decisions based on gut feeling, trust, aesthetics, timelines, politics, and instinct. They want to feel like the project is under control. So meet them there. Reassure them. Tell them a story they can understand. Be human.

So stop showing your workings.

Start showing your confidence and your competence.

They don’t need a calculator. They need a compass.