Talking as a Specialist
Explain your work so that managers, clients and colleagues understand what it means for them. Conclusion first, clear examples and structure in meetings.
- 8 modules
- At your own pace
- Module 1 free
What you gain
You get to the point
You lead with what matters to the listener and keep detail for when they ask.
Module 1
Examples that stick
You translate complex work into images people remember.
Module 2
Calm in the meeting
You speak up at the right moment and handle impatience without getting defensive.
Modules 3 and 4
Asked for advice
You grow from the person who executes into the person people consult.
Module 5
How it works
Your expertise stays intact; only the order changes. Each module gives you something to try in your next meeting, update or steering group.
- 1
Read a short lesson
Each lesson takes about ten minutes and covers one thing you can use right away.
- 2
Try it for real
You get a small exercise to do in an actual conversation that week.
- 3
Look back and adjust
A short check helps you see what worked and what to try next.
What is inside
1The Curse of Knowledge
FreeThe better you know your subject, the harder it becomes to remember what it was like not to know it.
The Curse of Knowledge
FreeThe better you know your subject, the harder it becomes to remember what it was like not to know it.
The better you know your subject, the harder it becomes to remember what it was like not to know it. That is not a flaw in you. It is how expertise works. This module shows what happens in the other person's head when you explain, and gives you one habit to use this week.
- Recognise the curse of knowledge in your own explanations
- Explain what a non-specialist listens for
- Use the two-minute core message in a real meeting
2Translating Complexity into Images
People don't remember explanations.
Translating Complexity into Images
People don't remember explanations.
People don't remember explanations. They remember pictures. This module shows how to find a comparison that fits, how to choose the right level of detail, and how to check whether your image actually landed.
- Build an analogy that fits the listener's world
- Choose how far to simplify without becoming wrong
- Check whether an explanation landed
3Impact in Meetings and Steering Groups
In a steering group you often have five minutes and a room full of people who think in money, time and risk.
Impact in Meetings and Steering Groups
In a steering group you often have five minutes and a room full of people who think in money, time and risk.
In a steering group you often have five minutes and a room full of people who think in money, time and risk. This module helps you speak to decision makers, find the right moment to speak up and take a clear position in sixty seconds.
- Adjust your story to what decision makers need
- Find the right moment to speak up in a meeting
- Take a clear position in sixty seconds
4Handling Resistance, Impatience and Misunderstanding
Sooner or later someone asks why it takes so long, why it costs so much, or why it can't just be done.
Handling Resistance, Impatience and Misunderstanding
Sooner or later someone asks why it takes so long, why it costs so much, or why it can't just be done.
Sooner or later someone asks why it takes so long, why it costs so much, or why it can't just be done. This module helps you answer without getting defensive, turn unrealistic expectations into honest choices, and deal with the frustration behind the question.
- Answer 'why does this take so long?' without defending yourself
- Turn unrealistic expectations into a clear trade-off
- Respond to the emotion behind an impatient question
5Taking the Advisor Role
The last module brings it together.
Taking the Advisor Role
The last module brings it together.
The last module brings it together. You move from executing requests to shaping them, build trust with people outside your department and write your own personal standard for how you communicate about your work.
- Shift from taking orders to shaping the question
- Build trust with other departments over time
- Write a personal communication standard you can keep
6Estimates, Deadlines and Boundaries
Why a quick question turns into a hard deadline, how to give an estimate with honest margins, how to say no while keeping the relationship and how to reopen a deadline that no longer holds.
Estimates, Deadlines and Boundaries
Why a quick question turns into a hard deadline, how to give an estimate with honest margins, how to say no while keeping the relationship and how to reopen a deadline that no longer holds.
Why a quick question turns into a hard deadline, how to give an estimate with honest margins, how to say no while keeping the relationship and how to reopen a deadline that no longer holds.
- Give estimates as a range with the main uncertainty named
- Say "yes, if" instead of a flat no
- Reopen a deadline calmly before it slips
7Working with Other Disciplines
Sales, product and management all work under their own pressure.
Working with Other Disciplines
Sales, product and management all work under their own pressure.
Sales, product and management all work under their own pressure. You learn to understand their agenda, explain maintenance and technical debt in business language and set priorities together before things catch fire.
- Understand the pressure behind another department's request
- Explain technical debt in terms of continuity, risk and cost
- Agree priorities together instead of fighting over them
8Persuading in Writing
Proposals, emails and documentation that people actually read.
Persuading in Writing
Proposals, emails and documentation that people actually read.
Proposals, emails and documentation that people actually read. You put the conclusion first, fit a complex decision on one page and know when to stop typing and talk instead.
- Write with the conclusion and the requested decision first
- Fit a complex proposal on one page
- Recognise when a conversation works better than another email
9Useful phrases for specialists
Twenty workplace situations with example phrases you can adapt.
Useful phrases for specialists
Twenty workplace situations with example phrases you can adapt.
Twenty workplace situations with example phrases you can adapt.
10Four models for clear advice
Four practical aids, with examples, limits and exercises.
Four models for clear advice
Four practical aids, with examples, limits and exercises.
Four practical aids, with examples, limits and exercises.
Who it's for
- IT, finance, engineering, legal and other specialists
- Consultants who work with business stakeholders
- Specialists who present to managers or steering groups
It's not for
- Presentation design or slide techniques
- Learning the technical content itself