I’ve been able of late to spend a greater portion of my research and reporting efforts on examining the issues facing CIOs, and one of the most prevalent concerns (as it has been whenever I’ve covered the CIO universe in the past) is that of effective communication of tech-heavy ideas to other C-level executives, most notably the CEO and CFO.
One CIO recently told an audience of which I was a part that the best way to communicate complex concepts was to tie them to recognizable examples. She used Lego blocks to describe service-oriented architecture (SOA), for instance. While having to employ visions of childhood toys might not always be necessary, you get the picture.
And many CIOs I’ve spoken with have opined that you have to stay away from any kind of tech-speak to get your message across. Leave the gigabits and gigabytes for discussions with your IT crew.
Anyone else out there have some good tips for effective communication with the top corporate dogs? We’d love to hear them.