Remove “Does that make sense?” from your vocabulary.

Asking someone “Does that make sense?” is assuming you did a good job explaining the topic and requires the other person to say that it didn’t make sense, which can make them feel stupid. Sometimes they won’t even say that it doesn’t make sense even if they didn’t understand it. No one wins in that situation.

Don’t put the awkwardness and pressure on them when YOU are the one who’s doing a good or bad job communicating.

Instead say things like… “Did I explain that well?” or “Am I making sense?”

That puts the ownership of clarity on you – not the person you’re talking to. That simple ownership makes things less awkward for the receiver and you’re more likely to find gaps in communication so you can improve what you say and how you say it.

Essentially, own your own communication shortcomings – don’t put them on other people.