Transparency

During A levels, we were set logic problems, of the type that went ‘reduce not(a and b or c) and not(c) to its simplest form’. I did these in my head, writing down the (always correct) answer without the apparently trivial calculations. And got marked down for not showing how I got to the answer. So I had a choice: do the thing right and quickly (I always cross-checked in my head as well), or do it visibly and slowly.

Again, two things have brought this topic to mind. Being forced to work with someone whose view of my personality and work is wildly different from my own, and a rather explosive exchange of assumptions about an Istanbul ferry. I know what I mean and what I’m doing, but how important is it to communicate that, and equally importantly, how can I do that without interrupting or slowing myself down?