Explaining a tradeoff to non-engineers

What's judged: whether a PM or executive can make a decision from what you said. Lead moves: Headline, Reason, Next.

Template: the decision needed → the options in plain terms → your recommendation and its cost.

"We need to pick between speed and cost. Option A ships in two weeks but doubles our cloud bill. Option B takes five weeks and keeps costs flat. I recommend B unless the launch date is fixed."

The curse of knowledge is strongest here. Remove every term your listener wouldn't use.