an engineering/technology mind speaking to the business mind?

Question

It seems there are two mindsets out there. The logical/technology enabled mind and the business mind. I have just written a report that was deemed too technical even though I had dumbed it down for the business mind to understand.
Not being rude here. When I mean dumbed down, I mean I have tried to put it in simple abstract high level descriptions.

But what is the best way to understand how to communicate to the business mind. What is the best way to develop this skill

Answer 1

This is one of the most thought provoking questions I have ever come across. I am a business professor.
Some of my peers also have degrees in physics or chemistry and I DO NOT.

My son is an engineer and we have
a hard time communiting about what each of us calls simple stuff.

He wants exact specifications in order to answer a question I ask and
i WANT only what is the end objective and what are your resources and
who are your competitors.

38 yrs ago, I created the non-college
business incubator and I found that
many science inventors only invent
for fun, they do not try to solve current problems and business
is interested in earning $ by servicing
known or unknown markets.

Thus, many items produced for the market place have no home --yet!
The fax took 35 yrs to find a market.
Yet, the pet rock sold immediately!
Go figure!

A car engine was made by a mechanic but designed by a scientist.
YET, when we consumers go into the shop for maintenance, what used to be a 5 min repair or action [changing
oil or an oil filter] can take 30 min to an hour on different vehicle].

thus, scientists and business people
did not get together.

by the same token, science often
discovers things-ideas for which
there is not market and a market
is immediately created!

All that said, if a scientist would take their ideas or gizmos and find a business plan template, I am betting
both scientist and business person
would have an easier time communicating because they both have the desire to "fiscally" succeed
and a biz plan combines emotion
and hard data.

Answer 2

Easy ... the Business mind understands ONLY 'when' and 'how much' type information ..

Here's some translations for you :-

early prototype == market ready
obsolete == backwards compatible
redundant features == unique selling proposition
functional deficiency == second stage delivery


Best way to get into their mind set ?

Get stupid drunk and start exaggerating the products features.. eventually you will find yourself talking Marketing b*llshit .. put down a few 'one-liners' on the back on a napkin and hey presto, you have your report !

PS - no Manager EVER reads beyond the first page == most only ever get to the end of the first paragraph (and then flip to the last page to check the figures = cost/profit & NPV etc).

If you are doing a presentation, the number of 'bullet points' per slide is inversly proportional to the 'seniority' of the audiance - fellow Enginess can cope with 15-20 .. Managers, 5-10, Senior Managers 3-5.,

The Board of Directors can only cope with simple graphs (vertical axis money eg. investment, profit, horizontal axis time)


To be serious .. the Business ONLY needs to know, 'what will it cost ?', 'when will it be ready ?', 'how much can we charge for it ?' and 'how many can we sell ?'

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Good question, have had this problem myself.

I have found the best way to communicate, is to start out with an informal meeting, one to one, discuss issues of the day, and then gradually introduce what you really want to talk about.

It has worked for me, hope it will for you.

Answer 5

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