THWS#091: They’re Not Listening To You. Are You A Fire Hydrant?

Marco's brilliant. A solution architect who thinks at lightning speed. The problem? He speaks at lightning speed too.

Watching him present to customers was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. He'd blast through complex technical concepts whilst everyone in the room drowned in information. Smart customers were left with their brains dribbling out their ears.

His message wasn't landing. Not because it was wrong, but because nobody could keep up.  Lots of people struggle with this, so if you don't - ping this on to someone it might help.

Here's what helped Marco slow down and massively increase his impact:

Feedback

Marco had no idea he was overwhelming people. He needed someone to tell him straight: "You speak so fast I can't keep up."

Honest feedback is uncomfortable, but it's kind. We often avoid giving it, but people can't fix what they don't know is broken.

Structure

Marco needed to move from a lightspeed stream of consciousness to something people could actually consume.

By clearly structuring his thoughts before speaking, he gave his audience signposts to follow. Structure creates breathing room. It turns a firehose into something digestible.

Teleprompter Practice

I got Marco to use a teleprompter set to "normal human" pace. He had to match the speed of the words on screen.

"No way, it should not be that slow," he moaned.

But I persisted. We recorded a few takes and played them back to the group. The feedback was unanimous: "Finally I can keep up." "So much better."

The teleprompter built muscle memory. It taught his brain what "normal pace" actually feels like.

The Result

Marco still thinks fast. That's his superpower. But now he knows he needs to slow things down and structure his thoughts for the rest of us mere mortals.

His customer meetings transformed. Same brilliant insights, but now people could actually follow them.

Your Action

Record yourself presenting something technical. Play it back. Are you overwhelming people with speed? Get some honest feedback from a colleague.

If you speak too fast, your message gets lost. Slow down, structure your thoughts, and watch your impact skyrocket.

Hope this helps.

BenP

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Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

• Leaders In Tech: Raise the impact of your team.  Make them more influential, memorable and successful with customers everyday.  The Technical Storytelling Professional Program enables them to create clarity, generate energy and drive the results you need.
• Individuals: Accelerate your career and build your reputation.  Develop the skills to help you present,  influence and explain in the tech world.  Check out the Technical Storytelling Essentials or Tech Community Speaker courses.
• Tech World Human Skills Podcast:  The latest episode is "Speaking At My First Big Conference" with Felicity Nyan. Check it out on the Elevated You website,  Apple, Spotify, YouTube or Amazon Podcasts.