Speaking Successfully to Experts, Non-Experts, and Everyone In-Between

You’re an expert. You’re tasked with talking about your expertise—maybe it’s to clients, the entire company, partners, or the public. The problem is your audience is eclectic and comprised of experts and non-experts. What do you do?
 
How do you deliver information that is meaningful and memorable to both sides of the “knowledge spectrum?”
 
Here are 4 concrete tips.
 
1: Start with a Clear, Accessible, Big Picture
Begin with a compelling overview that frames why the topic matters and introduces what each faction of the audience will gain from listening. The more real-world and relatable this introduction, the better.
 
By starting with something for everyone, non-experts will benefit from the context and experts will appreciate the structure.
 
Example, “Today I’ll show you how quantum computing could revolutionize data security. Even if you’ve never studied physics, you’ll understand the key ideas, and if you’re a specialist, we’ll also look at the algorithmic implications.”
 
2. Start Simple and Layer your Content
Start simple and gradually add technical detail. If you need to go ‘really technical,’ keep it short, add a disclaimer similar to, “for all the technical folks in the room...,” and extend an offer to talk in greater detail at a later time.
 
By starting simply and building up to more technical content, non-experts are comfortably brought along as the complexity builds while experts still get technical details.
 
Example, “Here’s the basic principle behind neural networks. I’ll walk you through a simplified version and then for the folks familiar with backpropogation, I’ll share some recent optimization techniques and why they matter. If you want even more information, catch me after this.”
 
3. Use Thoughtful Analogies or Well-Constructed Visuals
The point isn’t to dumb-down your content, but rather to elegantly and intelligently explain it. Richard Feynman, the Noble-Prize winning Physicist, modeled this approach in his acclaimed “Feynman on Physics” lectures where he made technical topics like quantum physics accessible to everyone through examples and analogies.
 
Analogies or visuals will help non-experts better understand the content, while experts will appreciate the creativity and ease of the comparison.
 
Example, “Think of the blockchain like a library book’s checkout card. It’s a public ledger that records each time something happens to that item. But the blockchain is written in unalterable ink—it’s cryptographically locked so it can’t be changed.”
 
4. Actively Engage with Both Groups
Throughout the presentation, continually acknowledge both sides of the “knowledge spectrum.”
 
Everyone, experts and non-experts alike, appreciates when a speaker acknowledges them and makes a concerted effort to include them.
 
Example, “Raise your hand if you’ve recently studied or used machine learning tools a lot. Now raise your hands if you’re relatively new to the subject.  Well great! I’ve got something for all of you.”
 
It’s rare that we have a homogenous audience with the same knowledge and experience. Instead, we often find ourselves presenting to diverse audiences. For example, imagine presenting to a cross-functional group of leaders where there are folks from operations, sales, engineering, finance and HR. By using our 4 tips, you will ensure your content sticks no matter the expertise levels of your audience.