We all know these moments. You experience an event or catch yourself doing something unexpected, and think back to how you have advised others to act in these situations. I joined a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors in the past two months. Both positions are in technology-related companies. Thus everyone has a basic understanding of tech and uses some of the language. Yet, depending on our focus, capabilities, and age, we have different experiences with languages, slightly altered vocabularies, and words. Previously I have written about the need to adapt to a common language in the board room at the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Board Talk and advised aspiring tech leaders on the Forbes Technology Council to mind their language. Thus, here are some tips I use to keep my tech language in check.
Leaders Use Examples
Most productive meetings aim to tackle real-world scenarios. Whether it is approving the Strategy for the next year or discussing how a change in the production systems will enhance the user experience, we seldom meet about concepts so far away that there is no real-world example at hand. Putting the illustration at the forefront of a contribution allows everyone else in the room to visualize a problem, change, or solution.
For some, my included examples also help to put everything in the correct order. Suppose changes happen sequentially, or you need to consider interdependencies. In that case, it is much easier to visualize when they are not overarching concepts.
Finally, examples disconnect the ability to understand a problem from considering ourselves good or bad at explaining or understanding. The illustration allows everyone to blame the request for clarification on a bad example.
Leaders Spell It Out
Technology, Business, and Corporate Law are all full of acronyms and short phrases. In IT three letter acronyms are so ubiquitous that a 2009 April Fools standard proposal suggests making a registry to ensure they are unique while completely replacing the most common ones with nonsense.
Even within a discipline, there are enough short forms and acronyms that it can get confusing. While it might seem intuitive to use short formats to shorten the meeting, a need to explain and reiterate will often prolong a meeting to where it would have been more efficient to say the long form in the first place.
Leaders Practice
While both the preceding tips are very reasonable, it is hard to implement them. Many come from disciplines where we interact with peers from the same field. Venturing out into the business world to conference and meeting rooms isn’t as intuitive as we would like. Thus, we need to practice to be perfect.
Getting a mentor who gives honest feedback can go a long way to moving the transition along. Likewise, finding a place where you can practice speaking and impromptu pitches can help us be more mindful of the language we are using. Toastmasters helped me with the initial fear of seeming stupid if I took too much time responding or giving lengthy explanations.
Meetups and networking events are another great place to practice speaking deliberately. They force you to meet people from different backgrounds and get along with them for at least an hour. While few will give you honest feedback at a meetup, looking at people’s reactions can give you a good hint of whether they understand you or are politely nodding along.
Don’t Mind Slip-up
The world of IT and Cybersecurity is vast. In the business world, we are the only ones who understand it. However, we don’t speak in a language everyone understands. In that case, no one understands what we are saying and dismisses some valuable points.
With a bit of practice, we can change the perception of the expert to a caring leader. As long as we try to make ourselves understood, other leaders won’t care if there is an occasional slip-up.