Communicating Technical Topics to
Non-Technical Audiences: A Four-Part Workshop
Have you ever had a client look at you like you’re speaking another language? Does your staff get frustrated when the boss doesn’t get it?
Whether in-person or virtually, there’s a lot at stake when communicating with clients, elected officials, executives, and others who have little time and less background in your area of expertise. You often get one chance to make a positive and memorable impression and it needs to go well.

Build Stronger Presentations with Audiences
During the workshop, participants learn to:
- Deeply understand and connect with the audience.
- Ask insightful questions to understand the “real” problem.
- Use storytelling for lasting impressions
- Use compelling visuals to increase memory and attention.
What Makes This Workshop Different?
Using her expertise in transportation and engineering, Shelley Row tailors each workshop session to address the specific needs of technical professionals.

Session 1
Know Your Audience: Who Are They and What Do They Really Care About
Learning Objectives:
- Delve deeply into your audience so that you know their real interests and concerns
- Tailor your approach to meet their needs instead of yours
- Understand what you want from them and what they want from you
Session 2
Asking Powerful Questions and Listening Between the Lines
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to use powerful questions that get under the surface of the key project players
- Create questions that you can use with your real-world clients and projects
- Develop effective listening skills that calm agitated citizens, clients, or politicians so that they have the brain power to hear your key points


Session 3
Be Memorable: Harness the Power of Storytelling
Learning Objectives:
- The neuroscience behind storytelling
- The fundamentals of story structure
- The use of emotion and data in storytelling
- Applications of storytelling to transportation
Session 4
Design Impactful, Brain-Friendly Presentations That Stick
Learning Objectives:
- Learn the tricks of designing an impactful webinar that connects with the audience
- Create slides that reduce cognitive load so that the audience isn’t exhausted
- Develop stories that create lasting connections
- Design presentations with a focal point and visual images to enhance your hard-core results
