Presenting to Non-Technical Stakeholders: Plain-English Phrases
5 exercises on KEY PHRASES. Choose the most natural and professional option.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
You're about to explain what an API is to a non-technical executive. What's the best opener?
"In plain terms, what this means is..." signals a conscious shift to plain language — it's a verbal contract with your audience that you're going to simplify. It reassures non-technical listeners. Real examples: "In plain terms, what this means is our database is full — like a filing cabinet with no more drawers"; "In plain terms, the build failed — the app isn't ready to ship yet." Option B is accurate but technical — it uses "programmatic" and "interface" without explanation. Option C is too casual and vague. Option D is a textbook definition, not a plain-English translation.
2 / 5
You need to explain what a load balancer does without technical jargon. What's the best approach?
"Think of it like..." is the gold-standard technique for technical-to-non-technical translation. A concrete analogy (receptionist directing patients) makes an abstract concept immediately intuitive. Real examples: "Think of it like a traffic cop at a junction — directing cars to the least congested road"; "Think of it like a hotel concierge — routing requests to whoever can help fastest." Option A is a definition, not an explanation. Option B is imprecise and anthropomorphises poorly. Option D uses "load" and "overwhelmed" — still somewhat technical.
3 / 5
You want to explain why a technical issue matters to the business, not just the engineering team. What do you say?
"The business impact is..." is the phrase that translates engineering into the language executives care about. Attaching a number (cost per minute) makes the impact concrete and compelling. Real examples: "The business impact is a 15% increase in checkout abandonment"; "The business impact is that we can't onboard new enterprise clients until this is resolved." Options A and D frame it as a technical/engineering problem — the wrong lens for a business audience. Option C is vague and doesn't quantify impact.
4 / 5
A stakeholder asks why a feature is taking so long. How do you explain?
"The reason this takes time is..." opens with the stakeholder's question and gives a specific, concrete answer. Explaining the trade-off (foundation first, or constant breakage) gives non-technical people a genuine understanding of why the work is necessary. Real examples: "The reason this is taking longer is that we discovered the old approach would have scaled poorly"; "The reason this takes time is that we're migrating 10 years of data — we can't rush it." Options A-C are defensive or vague.
5 / 5
A non-technical stakeholder wants to understand a complex architecture decision. You don't have time to explain all the details. What do you say?
"You don't need to know the details, but..." is a professional way to acknowledge complexity while still giving the stakeholder what they need. The key is the "but" — you follow it with the essential takeaway so they're not left empty-handed. Real examples: "You don't need to know the details, but the outcome is we'll save 30% on infrastructure"; "You don't need to know the details — the headline is: this is the safer, more reversible option." Option A is dismissive. Option B can sound condescending without the follow-up. Option D defers and creates extra overhead.