Within my organization with 40,000 employees spread over many locations, there are also many colleagues who are involved in innovation. This is not centrally arranged, but decentralized. So there are a number of teams working on innovation. There is little evidence of mutual coordination. But let's assume there is no overlap.
Colleagues are regularly informed by e-mail and separate MS team sessions. And that's where the communication problem begins. The innovators are very qualified colleagues. They are able to delve broadly and deeply into problems and develop ingenious solutions. They would like to explain this in their emails and information sessions. They can do that well, but they speak more or less a different language. They use many technical terms and make links, the relationships and meanings of which I do not recognize. And that becomes even worse if they want to discuss more than one innovation project. Then I really lost my way.
Now there are always some colleagues who still ask a question. The answer is usually in the same jargon, so it doesn't make you much wiser. Asking further gives a less smart impression, so that is not done.
The innovators are so focused on conveying all their knowledge to the audience and would like to convey all the knowledge at once, as it were, that they neglect the audience's ability to understand. If the audience does not understand and do not ask questions, the innovation project may not perform as well. So what can be done about this?
Just ask questions. Not 'what does that word mean' or something like that, but ask the questions from the user side. And because the listener/user asks the question, a specific answer is given and the technical terms will be fewer, making it clearer. You can keep an example of some user questions ready for another session.
What problem does this solve?
What is the added value?
Who has this problem?
Is this the best solution? How do you know?
Can you walk me through the solution step-by-step so that I can understand it?
Etc.
A brief overview of questions. Of course, the questions should be focused on the innovation project, but not asking them only raises more questions, especially afterwards. Help the innovators and yourself.
