What Should an Explanation Do When a Learner Gets Stuck?

When someone pauses in the middle of a new process, the next explanation could take different forms: define an unfamiliar term, show one worked example, or ask what they think should happen next.

Each choice reveals a different kind of gap. A definition helps when language is the barrier; an example can make an abstract step concrete; a question can show what the learner already understands. But the wrong move can add words without making the next action clearer.

What would you try first—and what would you listen for to tell whether it helped?