Photo credit gettyTechnical professionals often face a different set of communication challenges than people in sales, marketing, or leadership roles. They’re usually hired and rewarded for deep technical expertise, not for their presentation skills. Many have had little formal training in speaking. They also face a challenge that most professionals don't. They need to translate highly technical concepts into insights that non-technical audiences can understand and act on.Technical Professionals Can Be Exceptional At Public SpeakingWhen they shift their focus from explaining technology to serving the audience, engineers, scientists, AI experts, and other technical professionals can become remarkably engaging presenters. They can inform, inspire and influence their audience while enhancing their personal brand. Here are some of the most common issues technical professionals face and ways to resolve them.Effective Public Speaking Requires Thinking Like Your Audience 1. Share Only the Detail Your Audience NeedsTechnical experts often know so much that they try to explain everything. The result is an audience that gets lost in unnecessary detail. This shows up in overloaded slides with way too much content. Often, the presentation focuses on the how instead of the why.The solution: Use the less but better approach. Build your presentation around one clear message supported by three key ideas. Before creating the presentation, ask, "What does the audience really need to understand?"MORE FOR YOU2. Difficulty Simplifying Complex IdeasTechnical professionals are highly knowledgeable and may overestimate their audience’s ability to understand complex content. They assume the audience has more background knowledge than they actually do. Sometimes they use technical jargon that creates confusion and speak at an expert level when the audience is often made up of beginners. The solution: Conveying technical information so non-technical people can understand it requires a more relatable approach. Your audience doesn’t need to know everything you know. They only need to know enough to make a decision. Learn to explain ideas through analogies and examples. Replace technical jargon with plain language. Prioritize clarity over completeness. 3. Focusing on Information Rather Than InfluenceToo often, the goal becomes delivering accurate information instead of inspiring action. When you focus on information instead of impact, you miss the opportunity to answer the important question: Why does this matter? This can also show up as a presentation that ends without recommendations.Solution: Start by defining the change you want to create. Ask, "What do I want people to think, feel, or do after this?" Close the presentation with a reminder of key messages and your recommendations for moving forward.4. Adapting to Different AudiencesSpeaking to peers is very different from speaking to leaders, customers, or business partners. Engineers naturally focus on "What did we build?" Executives care much more about "Why does this matter?"Solution: Ask yourself, "What does this audience care about most?" Then tailor your examples, level of detail, and language accordingly. Focus on serving rather than performing.5. Translating Technical Value Into Business ValueThis is perhaps the biggest challenge. Every technical achievement should be translated into business impact. Don’t stop at what changed. Explain why it matters. Instead of saying: "We reduced latency by 30 milliseconds," leaders want to hear: "Customers will experience faster response times, reducing frustration and improved satisfaction." Solution: Get clear on the benefits and impact of your technical achievements. Then, distill them into potent, pithy statements.Effective Public Speaking Requires Delivering Like A Speaker 6. Reading SlidesBecause technical professionals want to avoid mistakes, many rely heavily on slides, turning them into teleprompters. This is a common challenge for those who don’t want to forget to say something or lose their place. It shows up as slides crammed with too many words and death-by-PowerPoint bullets. Focusing on slides takes attention away from the audience.Solution: Create visual slides that support you, rather than scripts that replace you. Put the explanation in your voice, not on the screen. Use builds and animations to show process and progression so your audience stays with you.7. Difficulty Telling StoriesStories are the currency of great presentations. Yet many technical presentations contain few, if any, stories. Storytelling may feel unscientific or unnecessary. But presentations without stories can be dry and hard to relate to. What’s missing is the emotional connection that inspires audience engagement. Stories make your presentation memorable.Solution: Instead of focusing on the details, use simple narratives (customer examples, project lessons, mistakes, successes, and before-and-after situations). Storytelling is one of the most important skills to build in the age of AI. Do some research when creating your content to find the most compelling stories. Then weave them into the presentation.8. Underestimating the Importance of PresenceSome presenters become so focused on the content that they appear physically and vocally flat. This shows up as monotone delivery with little vocal variety and minimal facial gestures. Solution: Improve vocal variety, eye contact, gestures, and energy. Practice voice variation and gestures before delivering the presentation. Part of presence is delivering a presentation in your authentic style. Avoid trying to be someone you are not. Mimicking other speakers can make you feel uncomfortable and come across as inauthentic.9. Creating Engaging VisualsTechnical slides often resemble research papers, detailed tables, or output from computer programs. The result is:Tiny fonts to fit a lot of textPDFs or Screenshots of spreadsheetsComplex charts that are hard to read and understandSolution: Slides should reinforce your message, not compete with it. Make them visually interesting and inviting so the audience benefits. Images, diagrams, icons, simple animations, and short videos go a long way toward reinforcing your message in a visually engaging format.Effective Public Speaking Requires Leading With Confidence 10. Fear of Being WrongTechnical professionals are trained to value precision and accuracy. That makes it a challenge to speak at a higher level. This can also show up as over qualifying everything (“It depends.”). Like most professionals, technical people are concerned about being challenged. That can make the presenter come off as being unsure or overly cautious.The solution: Change your mindset from "I need to be perfect" to "I want to be helpful." Use confidence without pretending to have all the answers. It’s OK to say, “I’ll get back to you on that.”11. Imposter SyndromeIronically, highly capable people often doubt themselves. That includes tech geniuses. Imposter syndrome is something we can all relate to. Fear of difficult questions, anxiety about speaking to senior leaders, and the feeling that you need to know everything are signs of how imposter syndrome shows up.Solution: Remind yourself that you know your stuff. Get comfortable with not knowing everything about everything. Pause to reflect. This gives you a moment to think clearly before responding to questions.12. Speaking with Confidence and AuthoritySome technical professionals avoid sounding confident because they don't want to appear arrogant. That humility is admirable, but taken too far, it can undermine credibility. Don’t apologize unnecessarily or undersell your expertise.Solution: Aim for quiet confidence rather than humility. Get comfortable being emphatic, and fervent in what you believe and want to share. Have a point of view and be willing to share it.The Biggest Public Speaking Mindset ShiftAI is making technical knowledge more accessible than ever. That doesn’t diminish the value of technical expertise. It increases the value of the human skills that bring that expertise to life. It’s part of the Great Human Premium. The professionals who can explain complex ideas clearly, connect emotionally, and inspire action won’t simply be better presenters. They’ll grow their personal brand and become more influential leaders.William Arruda is a keynote speaker, personal branding pioneer, and Senior Contributor to Forbes. Join his complimentary Maven Lightning Lesson, Public Speaking Myths: What Great Presenters Really Do.