Today we have a guest editorial from Andy Warren.

No, I'm not talking about stentorian speaking, but rather the phases we use with our IT colleagues and our employers and clients to help them understand something, perhaps most commonly when we are trying to describe things that can or can't be changed or done or undone. Sometimes a simple phrase can convey an idea more clearly than a long sentence or a dozen slides.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• - Raw. Think about the mental image of raw data, how much it implies about what you have done and not done to the data!
• - In Flight. That's right, that ship has sailed and it's too late to make changes, or at least they have to wait until said plane finally lands
• - (Not) Fully Baked. Another great way to remind users that sometimes you have to wait until the end to see what you have.

Of course words aren't perfect, and it's always possible to misuse or misinterpret them, but the best ones end up being great ways to simplify conversations. Got a phrase that you use to share a difficult concept? Share your list and maybe we can all communicate better!