If you've ever been asked to 'fix the pixels,' 'help me find the logged-in taskbar,' or 'print Hubble', you know this isn't always as easy as it sounds.

But even when you think you understand what someone's asking for, try paraphrasing it back to them. This doesn't have to be lengthy or patronizing; a simple, "so, you want to get a new email account?" or, "you're trying to create a footnote?" can save a lot of time and frustration.

(Those are real examples, btw. One person asked me how to sign up for Hotmail, when he actually needed to sign in to his existing account. The other was a student who knew her way around Word but didn't know how to credit certain sources - she wanted help finding an online style guide).