Dear Subject Experts:
We admire you. We respect you. We’re often bedazzled by your brilliance.
If we’re fundraisers, we may consider you to be our secret weapon. You enhance donor interactions because you can translate difficult research, enlighten us through your discoveries, and inspire us with your special talent.
And, as fundraisers, we recognize that our enthusiasm and general understanding of a given subject can only go so far. The simple fact is donors like meeting with experts. They appreciate your intellect and consider it a privilege to be in your company.
While some of you are reluctant to get involved with fundraising, you will readily agree to be a featured speaker. You will take time out of your busy schedule to lead a lab tour. And a few of you will spend long hours at lunches, home gatherings, and business meetings to shed some light on an esoteric subject.
Most of the time you’re a smashing success. But sometimes things don’t go quite the way we expected – and perhaps this is to be expected. You are, after all, an expert because you are devoted to your subject or craft. You’ve spent the better portion of your lifetime in the dance studio, lab, or in front of a computer to become the master of your universe.
So this leads me to an uncomfortable truth: just because you’re a subject expert doesn’t mean you’re an expert at conveying your subject.
If no one has offered constructive criticism it’s probably because they are in awe of you or are too intimidated to venture any feedback. But I am now in a position to broach this topic without hurting your feelings or incurring your wrath. With some assistance from Britt Stockert of Global Public Speaking, I offer these suggestions for how to become an exceptional subject matter expert:
- Know your audience. Understand who you are talking to and what the goal is. Are you meeting with fellow colleagues or a lay audience? Will there be just a couple of people or will you be speaking to hundreds? Gauge your audience’s level of understanding for the topic.
- Simplify a difficult subject. If you’ve been recruited as a subject expert, chances are you are talking to an audience that is eager to hear what you have to say, but has limited knowledge. The age-old advice about explaining it to a 10-year-old is about right. I’ve sat through many a lecture where I’ve been lost after the first slide – and I’m not alone. The purpose is to get your audience excited about your topic, not to make them feel stupid. Resist getting in the weeds, avoid jargon, and refrain from excessive use of acronyms.
- Offer your unique perspective. If you are a subject expert, I would like to know what drew you to your field, how you became involved with it, and what personal takeaways you can provide. If it’s a difficult topic, I will relate more to you when I know something about you. And, while many experts want to present just the facts, your observations matter to me.
- Offer information not readily available to the public. Everyone likes to be an insider. Your audience will get a small thrill if you reveal preliminary findings or if you announce a new program or breaking news.
- Be realistic. Acknowledge time constraints. Don’t try to cram a life’s worth of research into a 45-minute lecture. If you’re speaking to a lay audience, provide an interesting overview rather than getting caught up in minutia. And pace yourself. Don’t spend the majority of time speaking on the first two points if you have ten planned.
- Limit your slides. It will not help explain a difficult subject simply by cramming text onto a slide. Use visuals judiciously. Try infographics or easy-to-read charts that can highlight your major points without drowning your audience in detail. If you’re especially brave, consider whether you really need visual aids. I attended a talk by a geriatrician who spoke for 45-minutes without the assistance of any visuals and, even after many years, her presentation has stuck with me. Examine whether you really need that PowerPoint, or if you’re using it as a crutch.
- Make it a discussion, not a lecture. Check in with your audience – are they following your key points? If the format allows, ask for their observations along the way. Also, provide sufficient time for Q&A.
- Read your audience. You’re the expert – everyone knows this. If you start losing the audience (hint, their eyes are glazing over, there’s an excessive amount of fidgeting or, worse, they leave early) adjust accordingly. Refer to the previous bullet: simplify your message, ask for questions, engage the audience.
- Select a setting that will allow you to shine. I’ve worked with specialists who were incredibly personable, but they disappointed me when I put them in a more formal lecture-like setting. On other occasions, I’ve partnered with experts who were used to delivering lectures and could effectively distill information, but did not enjoy engaging with a small audience. Understand your comfort level. Sometimes it’s good to push your boundaries, but I’d like to see you in a setting that will allow you to shine.
- Do a test run. At the risk of stepping on egos, most experts benefit from a rehearsal. Even if you’re a gifted lecturer, it doesn’t hurt to confirm that your talk meets the time requirements, or to do a rehearsal with a small group to make sure your presentation won’t be over your audience’s heads.
Above all, consider us – fundraisers — your partners. We want you to do well and will do what we can to make you a success. If you need to know more about the audience or a particular individual, we’ll gladly provide that information. If there is confusion about what you’re to do, ask us to clarify. If you need assistance with, for instance, set-up or other arrangements, request it. You are helping us connect better to a community, an audience, or a donor and we appreciate your involvement. Also remember that we are a little bit in awe of you. You’re a rock star in your field, and we consider it a gift to be able to work with you.