hey team,
Jess and I want solar panels on the house.
We thought this would be as easy as saying:
"I want solar panels!"
And someone showing up saying:
"Here are your solar panels!"
Instead, I've found myself getting texts like this:
Know what any of that means? Neither do I.
Those are texts from two different guys at two different companies. And boy do I wish either of them understood: your buddy Mike is not an engineer.
If I knew as much about solar as these guys assumed, I’d be up on the roof installing the panels myself.
I had to paste both sales pitches into ChatGPT just to understand what they were trying to tell me.
All of this when basically all I wanted was someone to show up, tell me how great of a choice I was making, how much money I would save, and when they could start.
When You Only Talk to Your Peers
I’m assuming these (very nice) solar guys spend all day talking to other solar guys.
They’re having conversations about efficiency ratings and inverter types because that’s their world. When they talk to each other, this stuff matters, and they love it.
But for me? I don’t need to know the exact process of converting sunlight into electricity that runs my fridge. I just need to know I’m lowering my electric bill and helping the planet.
The wild part is, I was already sold. I wanted solar. Wanted the tax credit. Felt good about the decision.
Several mentions of omnik string inverters later, I’m now feeling underqualified to make a decision about my own house. I have the intelligence to say YES or NO to solar based on a few factors. I don’t need to understand the inner workings of every component.
This Happens Everywhere
The solar dudes aren’t unique. Any business with tech components runs into this problem.
HVAC people want to explain ductwork and BTUs when you just want to know if you’ll be comfortable in sweltering July heat.
Web devs start talking about frameworks and databases when you just want to be certain the website loads fast.
Financial advisors spend tons of time on asset allocation ratios when you just want to feel like you can retire comfortably.
Easy mistake to make. But one with a predictable result: confused audiences choose clarity elsewhere.
What This Means for Speakers
Speakers make this same mistake all the time.
You know your topic inside and out.
You’ve been thinking about it for years.
You get excited about the nuances, the technical details and the how it works.
But your audience? They’re not there for a masterclass in your methodology. They’re there to understand how this helps them.
They don’t need to know every research study you’ve read. They need to know what to do on Monday morning.
They don’t need your complete intellectual journey as much as they need to know the destination.
They want solar panels up there on the roof so they can feel better about the savings, or the money, or whatever.
The best speakers’ job isn’t proving they know all the little ins and outs. It’s getting the audience where they want to go.
It's okay to stay surface level
Most speakers feel guilty if they don't force the audience into a deep dive. You feel like you should have to demonstrate your research process, your theoretical framework.
But candidly? Rarely is your audience thinking about your expertise. More likely they're thinking, "I should probably care about the technical details, but honestly, I just want to know what to do."
Like me with solar - I wasn't trying to become a solar engineer. I was trying to decide whether to move forward.
As speakers, we often mistake surface-level for shallow. But what feels surface-level to us is usually what the audience needs. After all, the person sitting in your audience isn't trying to become you. They're trying to become a better version of themselves. And that happens at the surface, where decisions get made and actions get taken.
Said differently:
Your audience is usually trying to make a change, not master a subject.
Now, if you're reading this and thinking "hmm...maybe I'm overexplaining," here are some phrases I've found useful:
• "The good news is, you don't have to understand how this works to use it"
• "This is complicated behind the scenes, but all you really need to know is ___"
• "Even if you don't understand all of that, you just need to know ___"
• "Bottom line is ___"
So: what does your audience actually need from this speech?
Not what you want to tell them. Not what you think makes you sound smart. What do they need to feel confident moving forward?
Sometimes that's technical details. But more often, it's clarity, confidence, and a clear next step.
Speak well, my friends!
Mike
P.S. Want to talk NOT like a solar salesperson? Great news, Speech Club doors are opening up soon. Last chance in 2025. Just write back "Speech Club" for more info.