When Your Audience Isn’t Technical: How to Make It Click

When Technical Skills Meet Real-World Business

The lights buzzed above as Tom leaned over his desk. He checked the quality report for the third time.

As lead quality tech at Frostara Foods, he’d been chasing a problem on the frozen veggie line for weeks.

To him, the issue was obvious. Packaging was failing. If it continued, it could mean complaints, returns, or even a recall.

But making that case to his boss, Tina, wasn’t going well.

What He Found

Tom saw the pattern during routine checks. Their frozen broccoli packs were bursting at a rate 3.2% above normal.

To him, the cause was clear—poor seal temperatures, uneven pressure, and signs of wear on the machines.

He built a 12-slide deck packed with data. Graphs. Charts. Heat maps. Terms like “polymer degradation” and “PID loops.”

This was his moment. He thought it would impress Tina—and maybe even earn him more responsibility.

 The Presentation That Flopped

“So, Tom, what’s this issue?” Tina asked, coffee in hand, phone buzzing nearby.

Tom dove in. “We’re seeing issues with thermoplastic polymers degrading under inconsistent pressure—likely tied to the PID feedback…”

By slide seven, her eyes had glazed over.

Tom pressed on, explaining a chart full of symbols and equations. “This is where we see sigma…”

Tina stopped him. “Tom, I’m not following. What exactly is wrong with the product?”

Tom froze. He had the data. But somehow, the message wasn’t landing.

Why It Didn’t Click

Back at his desk, Tom felt confused. His numbers were solid. He was sure of the cause.

Why wasn’t Tina more concerned? Why did she ask for a redo—and to “keep it simple”?

At first, he thought: Maybe she doesn’t get the technical side.

But then he remembered how he used to feel lost when people talked about budgets, sales goals, or supply chain issues.

Maybe Tina was in the same boat—just reversed.

A New Way to Communicate

Tom tried a new approach.

He asked himself, If I were Tina, what would I need to make a call fast?

He tossed the slides and made one big statement:
“We have a packaging issue that’s costing us money.”

Then he added examples.
No more jargon. No more charts. Just real business risks and choices.

Take Two

A few days later, he stopped by Tina’s office.

“I think I can explain this better,” he said, holding one sheet of paper.

“Our broccoli packs are failing about 3% more than normal,” he said. “That’s around 1,200 bad packs a month—at risk of bursting in freezers or store shelves.”

Tina looked up. “Okay. What’s causing it?”

“Our sealing equipment needs recalibration,” he said. “Think of it like a coffee maker that doesn’t heat water hot enough. It still works—but not well.”

“And the fix?” she asked.

Tom gave her three options:

1. Full recalibration—costs $8,000 but solves the problem completely.
2. We Tighten inspections—adds $1400 a month in waste, labor, and downtime but avoids bad product.
3. Wait and see—zero cost now, but high risk of recalls and unhappy customers.
   

“What do you recommend?” she asked.

“The recalibration. It pays for itself in under six months—and keeps our brand safe.”

“Done,” she said. “Send me a purchase order.”

Tom walked out with approval—and a fresh sense of clarity.

 What Changed

In both meetings, Tom had the same knowledge. The problem hadn’t changed. The fix hadn’t changed.

But his approach had.

He stopped trying to prove how much he knew. He started helping Tina do her job.

She didn’t need to know polymer science. She needed to know: Is there a problem? What’s the cost? How do we fix it?

And Tom finally gave her that.

How It Changed His Work

From then on, Tom spoke differently.

When he introduced new quality checks, he focused on customer impact—not technical specs.

When he suggested equipment upgrades, he led with cost savings—not engineering features.

It didn’t make him less technical. It made him more effective.

Tina started coming to him for input. His voice carried more weight in meetings.

Other teams also noticed. Production teams liked how he explained quality rules in plain words.

The sales team started using his simple explanations to talk to buyers.

Passing It On

Six months later, Tom was training Lisa, a new hire.

She showed him her first deck for a leadership meeting. It was full of charts and scientific language.

Tom smiled. “Lisa, your job isn’t to show how smart you are. It’s to help them make smart decisions.”

She frowned. “Shouldn’t they understand the science?”

“They trust you to know it,” he said.
  “What they need is confidence that your fix helps the business win.”

Tom had learned the real skill: turning knowledge into clear, useful action.

The Bottom Line

The best technical minds aren’t just smart—they know how to explain what matters.

In a world full of data and complexity, that’s the skill that sets people apart.

If you want to lead, influence, and make real impact, don’t just share what you know.

Share why it matters—and what others should do about it.

Key Insight: It’s Not What You Say. It’s What They Understand.

Good communication turns insight into action.

Don’t aim to sound smart. Aim to help others act smart.

Simple Questions to Guide Your Next Technical Talk

• What’s the cost, risk, or time impact?
• What trade-offs does the business face?
• What does the other person care about?
• What’s the fastest way to make this clear?

Checklist: Before You Share a Technical Issue

• Start with the business impact—cost, time, brand, risk.
• Use simple analogies—relate it to something they know.
• Ditch the jargon—define what’s needed, skip the rest.
• Offer 2–3 clear options—with pros and cons.
• Lead with the “what” and “why.” Leave the “how” for later.
• Keep visuals simple—one idea per slide or page.
• Pause and check—if they look lost, slow down.

Best Practices: Be a Trusted Voice

• Talk outcomes, not just processes.
• Think like your audience. What keeps them up at night?
• Build trust. Clear, relevant answers earn repeat invites.
• Make your data useful. Highlight what it means and what to do.
• Start small. Let them ask for more.

FAQ: Talking Tech with Non-Tech Leaders

Q: What if I leave out a key detail?
 A: Simplifying isn’t dumbing down. You’re just leading with what matters most.

Q: Should I drop all technical terms?
 A: No—but define them fast and move on. Keep the spotlight on business impact.

Q: What if they make the wrong call?
 A: That’s on you to fix. It’s your job to make sure they understand what’s at stake.

Q: Isn’t it risky to skip the details?
 A: It’s riskier to overload them. Confusion delays action. Clarity moves things forward.