Don’t Drown Your Audience in Alphabet Soup

by Frank L. Williams

Leaders often shoulder the responsibility of serving as the official face and voice of their business, association, non-profit, or governmental body. 

In June’s column, entitled How to Kill Your Presentation, I shared a number of ways I’ve seen speakers shoot themselves in the foot. In July’s column, Be Clear, Be Brief, Be Seated, I shared some recent examples. Since then, I’ve been subjected to yet another way to kill your presentation: drowning your audience in alphabet soup.

Last week, several guest speakers addressed a board on which I serve. While the board often covers a number of technical issues, its members are not technical experts. One of the speakers, who was brought in to help shed light on an issue, likely left board members more confused than they were before he spoke. He threw out enough acronyms and technical jargon to fill an industry textbook, and it quickly became evident to me that most of the members, including those who have been on the board for years, weren’t sure what he was trying to communicate.

This speaker, while likely very knowledgeable and obviously well-intentioned, overwhelmed his audience with acronyms and industry jargon that they were not familiar with. Not only did his message not resonate with his audience, they left the meeting with less clarity than they had before it started.

Understand your audience and plan your presentation to ensure that you don’t drown your audience in alphabet soup.

Need help preparing yourself or someone on your team to be a more effective spokesperson? Let’s have a conversation!