As a CTO, one of my biggest challenges has been effective communication. It’s difficult to be in a technical position and have to explain the issues and strategies of often complex technologies and situations to a non-technical person such as a CEO, CFO or other internal stakeholder with decision making power.

Why Focus On Communication?

Despite the challenge, it’s important to communicate effectively in order to ensure the right information is received by these decision makers so they can reach conclusions and set direction in a way that you know will benefit what you are developing. This involves sharing the type of information that can improve how the technology is marketed and sold to your audience.

And this effective communication doesn’t essentially mean dumbing down what I’m trying to explain to them. Instead, it is about rewording the complexity and translating it into non-technical, jargon-free terms that these leaders can relate to in order to understand the overall strategy. Here are some of the communication strategies I’ve been employing to better inform my CEO and others on the leadership team.

Weekly Tech Update

This tech update used to just be about what my team and I were working on within the company’s strategy. However, I realized that this did not include the bigger picture, which is necessary for providing the context for what and why IT was working on these specific things.

That led me to include a weekly roundup of top tech news and trends as well as information about other external factors that affected what we were doing in the development area and what this meant for the company. I use bullet points and keep the content brief and focused. Links to the stories I reference are also included so the CEO and others that receive it can do further reading, if necessary.

Coming up with a weekly update will show that you aren’t just working in a vacuum. Everything has to relate to the environment around your team and the reasons for why your audience has particular issues, needs and desires. It will build greater credibility with your senior team and influence their decisions. In my experience, it has also helped the CEO and his team to better align strategy for improved results.