“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin, American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, political philosopher, and Founding Father of the United States

Technical speakers often have to play a balancing act with their audience. Their audiences are frequently comprised of technical and non-technical speakers.

They need to speak at a level of detail deep enough to interest technical audience members, but at a high enough level to allow understanding by non-technical audience members.

This article explains three ways to approach the non-technical audience understanding challenge.

Translate Technical Jargon Into Everyday Language

Instead of relying on acronyms or dense terminology, convert complex ideas into plain, relatable language.

Use metaphors and analogies. For example, instead of saying “distributed computing architecture,” explain it as “a team of workers sharing tasks across multiple stations so the job gets done faster.”

When you use metaphors and analogies, inevitably, you will be adding words, so that you will use more time. However, the more profound your understanding of your audience is, the more worth it is to invest the extra time.

The result, if you stick with your jargon, is that your audience will miss your message.

Build from known concepts. Anchor explanations in familiar experiences. For example, explain encryption as “locking your message in a safe that only the recipient has the key.”

A fair amount of jargon actually has its basis in literal terms. For instance, the term “computer bug” stems from the actual insects that infiltrated the first computer called ENIAC.

ENIAC had 18,000 vacuum tubes. If you don’t know what a vacuum tube is, Google it. The operation of vacuum tubes is a fascinating subject in its own right.

The insects would cause the connections between the vacuum tubes to break and, therefore, the computer program used would have errors.

Avoid information dumping. Limit explanations to the “must know” concepts before adding details. This keeps the audience engaged and prevents cognitive overload.

This is an example of the “Less is More” principle. Too much information fosters confusion. If you present less content at a higher, more understandable level, more of your message will get through to your audience.

One way to address the challenge of non-technical audience misunderstandings is to translate technical jargon into everyday language that is accessible to the general public.

Another way is to layer information in three levels of depth.

Layer Information in Three Levels of Depth

Present content progressively so that everyone can follow along.

Start with the big picture. Start with why the topic matters (the business, societal, or human impact).

Starting with how your topic impacts the lives of your audience members is always a winner. Simon Sinek outlines this principle in his book, Start with Why.

Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” The best way to fully understand a subject is to teach it to others.

Offer a high-level description using simple diagrams or flowcharts, provided they don’t get overly complicated.

Perform a technical deep dive only if it is relevant or requested. Share details like equations, algorithms, or data points only for those who want to go deeper. You may even invite interested audience members to talk to you at the break or after your presentation.

It is a “balancing act” to keep technical audience members interested while not confusing non-technical audience members.

The best way to do this is to present your topic at a high enough level to permit understanding for non-technical audience members while hinting at the lower level to satisfy technical audience members.

This approach respects time while empowering both non-technical and technical participants to engage at their comfort level.

This layered approach will provide a decent “middle of the road” level for your non-technical and technical audience members.

So, two ways to solve the non-technical audience misunderstanding challenge are to translate technical jargon into everyday language and layer information in three levels of depth.

A third way is to use visual aids to bridge knowledge gaps.

Use Visual Aids to Bridge Knowledge Gaps

Visuals simplify complexity and help the audience see patterns quickly.

Use flowcharts and process maps to show how steps connect, making systems less intimidating.

Human beings like a “roadmap” to show where they are being taken. Flowcharts show them the logic of actions to be taken and why decisions are being made.

Process maps provide more of the logic for how your presentation is building on what you have said previously.

Before/after comparisons demonstrate the problem, then the solution — this makes the value of your idea instantly clear.

The key is to make “crystal clear” how the solution solves the problem. This is another example of the “Less is More” principle. Explaining in too much detail can defeat the purpose of this method, confusing your audience.

Icons and color coding highlight key ideas (inputs, outputs, risks) with colors or simple symbols, allowing quick comprehension even without a full technical context.

This is a great way to appeal to another part of your audience members’ brains. The added benefit of icons and color coding is that it makes your presentation more interesting.

So, three ways to solve the non-technical audience misunderstanding challenge are to (1) translate technical jargon into everyday language, (2) layer information in three levels of depth, and (3) use visual aids to bridge knowledge gaps.

Remember, it is all about them (your audience), not about you. Your presentation is perfectly understandable to you, but if it is not comprehensible to your audience, you have “missed the mark.”

It is a “balancing act” to keep technical audience members interested while not confusing non-technical audience members.

Your job is to strike the right balance.

Call to Action

• Use metaphors and analogies in your presentations to relate what you are saying to something your audience knows.

• Start with the “big picture,” read your audience for understanding, and then provide extra detail that is appropriate.

• Use visual aids to bridge knowledge gaps. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

References

• Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. Wiley.

• Alley, M. (2013). The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid. Springer.

• Mayer, R. (2021). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press.