Why Experts Should Always State the Obvious When Mentoring Others

A piece by developer Asael Shinder argues that the most valuable knowledge experts hold is often the kind they no longer consciously notice. As skills become automatic, the small procedural steps that beginners need most tend to disappear from explanations. Shinder recommends that mentors narrate even mundane actions aloud — such as which file to open first or how to read an error message — because what feels patronising to an expert often feels revelatory to a learner. He also suggests asking the mentee to walk through their intended steps beforehand, which quickly surfaces hidden gaps without embarrassment. The core message is that effective mentoring means sharing not just conclusions, but the invisible mechanics behind how an expert actually moves through a problem.