Investor's Business Daily, June 1st, 2007
You're a technical whiz. That works to your advantage in most cases -- but not when you give a speech.
Your vast knowledge and enthusiasm can lead you to give too much information. And that alienates your audience.
To convey complex concepts in an easy-to-understand manner, stick to succinct observations and clear conclusions. Don't elaborate unless someone asks. Begin with an overview so that everyone can follow your sequence of ideas, and emphasize the "take-away" -- the core point 20hat you want people to retain.
"Explain the why, not the how," said Suzanne Bates, author of "Speak Like a CEO." "Most audiences don't care how something works, just why it works and why it matters."
If you want to promote an innovative new scientific instrument, for example, focus on why users benefit from it -- and why it produces a substantial bottom-line impact. Don't lapse into a discussion of its underlying technology.
To convey complicated ideas, choose a simple analogy. One of Bates' clients, the chief executive of a sports apparel company, sought to persuade his sales force why he was investing in back-office technology. Instead of giving a long-winded technical explanation, the CEO compared the investment to going into space.
"If we don't invest in this technology, we'll arc up but plummet back down quickly," he said. "But with this technology, we'll make it to the Space Station."
Recent news headlines are an excellent source of fodder for analogies, says Bates, president and CEO of Bates Communications in Wellesley, Mass. If you relate your subject matter to popular topics on everyone's mind, you entertain your listeners.
Another way to identify vivid analogies is to gather two or three colleagues with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Brainstorm with them on ways to translate your technical subject into something more familiar and accessible to a general audience.
Entrepreneurs who seek funding for startup companies tend to get bogged down in technical explanations, Bates warns.
She often tells them to limit their discussion of cutting-edge features or technologies that differentiate their products in favor of summarizing the resulting return on investment.
"Know your audience and tell them upfront what they need to know," she said. Skip the complicated stuff that you may find enthralling but that's less relevant to them.
Another technique to simplify your presentation is to prepare by listing your listeners' likely questions, Bates says. As you answer each question, you give yourself a road map to follow.
"I have CEOs prepare by sitting where the audience will sit," she said. "That helps them imagine what kind of questions will arise."
Finally, limit your use of acronyms. You may assume that your listeners are steeped in industry lingo, but the same term may mean different things to different people. Play it safe by defining a technical concept when you first mention it, Bates says.
