Do you explain a problem by zooming in and out with Luke Cook

https://www.ssw.com.au/rules/zooming-in-and-out

Explaining problems can be really hard. Often, when you are trying to talk with someone about it, they get lost and frustrated because they don’t fully understand the context.

That’s why it is crucial to start at a fully zoomed out level and slowly zoom in with your audience. When trying to explain something think about it in the context of 3 levels of zoom:

Level 1 – Context

Level 2 – Challenge

Level 3 – Core Each level provides a little bit more context so that the listener can understand the next level down and eventually reach the core question.

——————————————————————————

|| Subscribe for more content from SSW TV ||

|| Press like and leave a comment below to let us know how we’re doing ||

Twitter ↴ https://twitter.com/ssw_tv

Facebook ↴ https://www.facebook.com/SSW.page

See more videos at http://tv.ssw.com

For more information about SSW’s web application consulting services, please visit https://www.ssw.com.au/ssw/Consulting/Web-Applications.aspx

Created by SSW TV | Videos By Developers, For Developers

v2 – Jonty

About the speakers

Luke Cook

Luke has spent the last 15 years in the Fintech and Paytech industry, designing and building software solutions that are used by thousands of Australian businesses. He has worked closely with the ATO in many of their industry initiatives, including SuperStream and Single Touch Payroll. Luke enjoys solving complex business processes in ways that make things easy for everyday users.

Luke has worked with .NET Framework since 2.0, and continues to follow the .NET and .NET Core development community closely. Having attended various SSW training courses and User Groups since 2008, he decided to make the jump to SSW in 2022. His favourite tech stack is .NET WebAPIs coupled with SPA front-ends, specifically Angular and Blazor.

When he's not working, Luke can be found around Sydney playing his guitar with friends, running TTRPG sessions and mentoring junior developers.

Microsoft Teams Etiquette: Simple Habits That Make Meetings Better | Adam Cogan

Whether you’re working remotely or in the office, small habits can make a huge difference in Microsoft Teams meetings. In this video, Adam Cogan shares practical etiquette tips to help meetings run more smoothly—from introducing people who join the room, to announcing yourself when joining a call, using screen sharing respectfully, and ending meetings with a recorded summary that can automatically create a Product Backlog Item (PBI).

These simple communication habits improve collaboration, reduce confusion, and make hybrid meetings more inclusive and productive.

Treat Your Code Like Uranium | Adam Cogan

Adam Cogan shares a striking story comparing two World War II factories—one ordinary, one handling uranium—and the surprising lesson that the uranium workers lived longer because they followed disciplined, risk-aware practices. He connects that idea to software teams: the best outcomes come from careful habits like automated tests, telemetry, pull requests, retrospectives, shared rules, and good tools. The message is simple: treat software delivery with the same respect as dangerous work, and you’ll reduce stress, avoid chaos, and get better results.

3 Tips for Better Video Recordings | Adam Cogan

Great coaching can dramatically improve how you present, communicate, and learn. In this video, Adam Cogan shares 3 practical coaching tips that SSW uses every day—from onboarding and role plays to improving video delivery. He explains why having a coach matters, why immediate interruption beats delayed feedback, and how repeating corrections helps lock in better habits.

TinaCMS + Fumadocs: Bring Visual Editing to Your Docs | Hark Singh

Discover how to connect Playwright with AI agents and unlock powerful workflows.

Stop Using 👍 Wrong in Teams | Adam Cogan

A quick communication tip from Adam Cogan: don’t use 👍 as a catch-all response when someone assigns you a task in Teams, Slack, or Google Chat. In the example Adam gives, if a task will take about five minutes, a thumbs up is too ambiguous because it does not clearly say whether you’ve read it, agree with it, are doing it now, or will do it later. Instead, use 👍 for agreement, 👀 to show you’ve seen the task and are actively working on it, and then replace 👀 with ✅ once the task is done. It is a small change, but it removes ambiguity and cuts down unnecessary follow-up messages.

How to record a done video in SSW | Sylvia Huang | SSW Rules

Sylvia Huang from SSW shares her SSW Cultural Exchange experience from Hangzhou, China to Australia

4 Essential Sales Tips for Engineers | Adam Cogan

Not a salesman? No problem. Adam Cogan shares 4 practical tips to help engineers navigate sales meetings with confidence. Learn how to stop “selling” and start solving, how to talk numbers without the awkwardness, and why being transparent about your process wins more clients.

Do you explain why you’ve deleted or updated an appointment? | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Ever wonder why a meeting was moved or cancelled? Adam Cogan explains the “Secret Ingredient” to professional scheduling: always include a version history and reason for change at the top of your appointments. Improve clarity, keep a record of changes, and hold participants accountable with this simple SSW Rule.

Chat first before changing others’ code | Adam Cogan

Changing someone else’s code? Don’t just dive in! Adam explains why it’s important to check the source history and talk to the original developer before making changes. A quick chat can save headaches and keep everyone on the same page. Perfect advice for devs working in teams!