On more than one occasion I have heard a CIO or CTO say “I have a team of technical experts, but very few of them I can take to meet an officer or a customer.” Our technical language is absolutely critical. In my world as an engineer, we used terms like SS7 and TCP-IP daily as we communicated with each other. This mix of technical speak and acronyms helped us communicate complex ideas between each other quickly, but it was difficult for anyone else outside our technical positions to understand what we were talking about. I had to learn how to speak two “languages.”

Are You Speaking Greek?

Imagine being in a foreign country and not knowing the local language. Simple ideas, statements, and questions now take more time and energy to understand than it does for someone who already knows how to communicate with the locals.

Now, imagine someone without a technical background trying to communicate in your workplace. Between tech speak and acronyms they would be clueless, but for you and your colleagues this “technical language” of sorts makes perfect sense. You must be able to translate your local language into something that everyone outside your circle can understand.

While we all know that technical skills are in high demand, perhaps the ability to actually translate the technical language is the most sought-after skill in today’s workplace.

Assume They Don’t Understand

Unless you know for certain that the people you are talking with will understand technical terms and acronyms you typically use, assume that they will not and provide some explanation for the terms. Recently I was in a meeting where entrepreneurs were presenting their ideas. One very bright engineer was explaining his new company to me, but after he spoke for about three minutes I still had no idea what he was talking about. I speak technical jargon, and yet, this engineer still managed to lose me.

Our technical language is critical to develop products, but when we are speaking with customers, investors, and even the media, we need to be able to translate our technical terms into well-known common terms or explain what the complex terms actually mean.

Make Sure They Understood

Whenever possible, include time in your presentation or the conversation for questions and prepare yourself to be interrupted. In particular, when you are explaining a complex, technical issue or product, you want to be certain that who you are talking to is following you on every step. If they get lost in the beginning and they do not feel comfortable in interrupting you for clarification, they may stay lost for the rest of the presentation.

As you explain things and answer questions, be careful to do it in a way that does not seem condescending. While you want to share your technical expertise, you do not want to come across as a jerk who is smarter than everyone else in the room. Imagine again what it feels like being in a foreign country talking with someone who has become frustrated with you because you cannot understand them or worse, laughs at you.

You know the technical language. Let us teach you how to translate it.

In the UAB IEM program, we take experts who have a deep technical understanding of their subject and teach them to lead. This means we teach them to use a language they already know and translate it into common English that anyone they work with can understand. We want to see you succeed at speaking both languages, and would love to talk to you today about how to make that happen. Fill out the form on this page to schedule a time to talk or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Let us help you find your path to a technical or engineering management career.