The phrase, ‘The only constant in life is change,’ mirrors the advances in communication technology over the last four decades. We have seen how the internet, online business and social media sites, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed our ability to communicate easily and quickly across the world.

However, what comes with this advancement is industry-specific language, that can be confusing and potentially a turn-off – even the term, AI, is referred in its abbreviated form rather than full title!

I attended a recent customer experience webinar, and the presenter talked about how AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of consumers’ purchasing decisions. The abbreviations: LLM, DL and ML were referred to throughout the discussion, but were unclear. As the webinar was in listen-only mode, I searched online for a description of these abbreviations. They stand for large layer model (LLM), deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) and are ways in which machines are programmed to learn patterns and connections between words, and derive data from algorithms.

However, in In quest to understand what these abbreviations meant, I missed parts of the presentation. My attention then waned and I didn’t pick up on the key takeaways. I’m sure the webinar organisers would be horrified to hear this and see this as a missed marketing opportunity. Unfortunately, this is what can happen when presenters use language that audiences don’t understand.

For those who are involved in the cutting edge of technology or operating in complex industries, you play a vital role in opening our eyes to further opportunities. However, you need to be mindful that by using industry abbreviations, jargon and language, you risk alienating members of the audience who do not have your same level of industry knowledge or insight. This language conundrum extends beyond AI to industries such as oil and gas, utilities and energy.

Presenters need to find a way to bridge this knowledge gap by using clear and simple communication to ensure everyone in the audience is on the same page, and avoid inaction.

Help is on hand. There are ways you can keep audiences on side from start to finish – even if you have to use technical language on occasions  – and avoid falling into the trap of assuming everyone knows what you know! For more information on this and other presentation training techniques that will hasten rather than stall business progress, contact us at Spoken Word Communications.