I’m excited to have guest writer Chelsea Lamb from Business Pop share this post!
IT professionals don’t just keep the digital wheels turning—they drive innovation, protect company assets, and create efficiencies that most people never even realize. But here’s the problem: if no one understands what you do, they won’t fully appreciate the value you bring. That’s where effective communication comes in. The ability to explain complex technical work in a way that resonates with non-technical stakeholders is just as important as writing clean code or optimizing a database. If you want your contributions to be recognized and supported, you need to tell your story in a language that everyone understands.
Frame Everything Around Business Impact
Your audience isn’t interested in server uptime or agile workflows; they care about results. So instead of talking about technical feats, show how your work directly benefits the company. Did a security upgrade reduce the risk of costly breaches? Did automating a process save employees dozens of hours each week? Speak their language—dollars saved, efficiency gained, risks mitigated. When you connect technology to business outcomes, stakeholders start to see IT as a strategic partner rather than a cost center.
Use Analogies to Bridge the Knowledge Gap
Technical explanations often fall flat because they lack relatable context. That’s where analogies come in. If you’re explaining cybersecurity, compare it to home security—firewalls are like locks, multi-factor authentication is like a deadbolt, and phishing emails are the con artists at the door. If you need to justify a cloud migration, compare it to switching from a personal hard drive to a secure, always-accessible digital vault. When you translate complex ideas into familiar concepts, you lower the barrier to understanding.
Summarize Key Points
When communicating with non-technical stakeholders, less is often more. Distilling key points into easily digestible summaries ensures that your audience grasps the essential insights without getting lost in technical jargon. Instead of overwhelming them with dense explanations, focus on high-level takeaways and actionable results. To streamline this process, you can explore your options for AI-powered PDF summarizer tools that extract the most important elements from lengthy documents, making it easier to share only the most relevant details. By refining complex information into clear, concise summaries, you make it easier for decision-makers to understand and support your initiatives.
Tell a Story, Don’t Just Present Data
People remember stories far better than raw data. Instead of rattling off statistics about system performance, illustrate the problem and solution with a compelling narrative. “Last year, our outdated servers crashed three times, forcing the entire sales team to go offline. We invested in cloud-based infrastructure, and now downtime is practically nonexistent, keeping revenue flowing uninterrupted.” A well-told story not only makes your point clearer but also makes it stick.
Know When to Cut the Technical Details
Not every stakeholder needs to know the nitty-gritty of your work. The CEO doesn’t need to hear about database indexing strategies—just tell them that search queries are now twice as fast. Your goal isn’t to impress people with your technical depth; it’s to ensure they walk away with a clear understanding of the impact. Gauge your audience’s technical literacy, then adjust your level of detail accordingly.
Make Metrics Meaningful
Metrics can be powerful, but only if they’re framed in a way that resonates. Telling leadership that server response time decreased from 300ms to 150ms won’t mean much. But if you say, “Your customer-facing website now loads twice as fast, reducing bounce rates and keeping more potential buyers engaged,” that’s something they’ll care about. Whenever you present data, ask yourself: “How does this affect the business?” If the connection isn’t obvious, reframe it.
Get Comfortable Speaking in Meetings
Too many IT professionals shy away from speaking up in meetings, allowing business leaders to dictate the conversation. But if you want IT to have a seat at the table, you need to own your voice. Practice articulating your contributions succinctly and confidently. Avoid over-explaining, but be ready to dive deeper if asked. The more you engage in discussions, the more influence IT gains in shaping company strategy.
Build Relationships Beyond IT
If the only time stakeholders hear from you is when something breaks, your role will always be seen as reactive rather than strategic. Make an effort to build relationships outside of crisis mode. Grab coffee with department heads, sit in on non-IT meetings, and proactively share updates on how technology is supporting business goals. The more visible and approachable you are, the more IT is viewed as an integral part of the company’s success.
Being great at your job isn’t enough if no one understands the value you bring. By framing your work in terms of business impact, using relatable analogies, and communicating with clarity and confidence, you can bridge the gap between IT and non-technical stakeholders. And when people truly grasp how IT drives success, they’ll see you as more than just the person who fixes their email—they’ll see you as a strategic asset they can’t afford to overlook.
Subscribe to my blog and get posts like this in your inbox. Share your email below, or follow me on Threads, LinkedIn, or BlueSky.
David Lozzi 
Leave a Reply