Even a Nerd Can Be Heard

It seems I was being a bit narrow-minded when I assumed that the accounting profession has a monopoly on nerds.   Maybe we accountants have earned our public reputation for nerdiness because the people we deal with are usually  so very different from us, and visit us only when they have to as a result of some government rule or regulation. 

After a very interesting day spent at the Napa Valley Wine & Grape Expo , I suddenly realized that there are many professions that require practitioners to gain specialized knowledge that involves unique terminology, techniques,  regulations, chemicals, or tools.   And often, when these experts attempt to communicate with the unwashed masses, there is a huge disconnect.   So their audience labels them a nerd.  I don’t think “Nerd” is really meant as a derogatory term, rather it indicates amazement at that person's in-depth knowledge of a topic that most people don’t understand. 

I was shocked to realize that there are nerds even in wineries and they have difficulty communicating too. 

My first example happened a couple of weeks ago when I had the pleasure of attending a harvest party put on by the wonderful folks at Halleck Vineyard .  A group of excited but untrained pickers gathered to assist in the harvest of 50 rows of Pinot and then we all had the thrill of following our grapes to the crush facility.   Once there, Ross Halleck had arranged an informative tasting opportunity which allowed us to taste various stages of the fermentation process.  All of this was wonderfully done and every step of the process had been beautifully explained by Ross or Jennifer Halleck, who both have a marketing and sales orientation.   The interesting part of the tasting for me (since I am constantly studying presentations and presenters) happened when Ross handed the floor to his winemaker.  The winemaker proceeded to tell us about malolactic acids and processes and various technical details of the wine process.  He used buzz words like “MOG” (matter other than grapes)  and “Must” (the juice pressed from grapes or other fruit before it has fermented) which are well-known to the wine industry but less known to the general public.  While extremely knowledgeable, our presenter was having a tough time connecting with his audience.  Ross handled it beautifully by taking on the role of the translator.  He converted the winemaker’s technical terms to terms more easily understood by those of us who were more knowledgeable about consuming, rather than creating, wine.  The two made a great pair and each was able to use his strengths to best advantage.  

I was very surprised to note that like accountants, winemakers are very detail- oriented and must be extremely precise and analytical in their measurements and observations.   So while accountants can often be found retreating to the back office or cubicle, some winemakers may be most comfortable in their caves. 

Flowcharts are all about pictures.  So if you're a nerdy numbers person, how are you supposed to convert your linear, number-filled ideas to pictures? 

I have tried to use Visio, and it is fine if you can remember what shape corresponds to whatever action you are trying to describe.  But I can’t do that.  I am never sure if I want a rhombus or a cylinder, a diamond or a rectangle to represent the next step in the process.  And while I am thrilled to see geometric figures put to good use, the process frustrates me beyond belief.  It occurred to me that someone should invent a tool that converts words to pictures.  Well, you know the rest. 

Every time I come up with one of those “someone should invent XXX ” thoughts, I go to the Internet and discover that someone has invented it.  Sure enough, there is a  tool called FlowBreeze invented by (who else but an engineer) named Nicholas Hebb who has 15 years experience in manufacturing engineering, test engineering management, and software development.  You can try the software for 30 days or take the big plunge and spend $39.95 to buy your individual copy.  You can create basic flowcharts quickly and easily or use the custom feature to build your own keyword triggers for different shapes.  So “document” can result in the use of one shape, while “read” produces another. 

In case you can’t decide if this product is for you, I have created a flowchart to help you.  

Let's say you have to make a presentation in a foreign land. (And I'm not talking about New York City unless you are a fellow southerner.)  I mean an actual place where the audience may not speak the same language you speak and they don't share the same customs. (OK, that could still be New York City, but I am talking about a place that requires trans-ocean travel and a passport.)  How can you possibly relate to that kind of audience?

Well, I faced that dilemma myself, and here's what I did.  I was to make a series of presentations, including the keynote at a conference in South Africa.  The conference brochure had a basketball theme and used the idea of an unfair advantage as a metaphor for the success of the software that we were all selling.  Now, I was pretty surprised that people in South Africa were big basketball fans, but since I am a Tarheel and was raised on ACC basketball, I figured it was a universally known and loved sport.   I talked to my host and confirmed that yes, people in South Africa did like basketball and they did know Michael Jordan (by the way, he was a freshman at UNC the year I graduated) so I figured I was on pretty solid ground.  I proceeded to change my entire keynote presentation around so that it was based on basketball players.  I compared our software to our competition using different characteristics of basketball players. 

My title slide included the words “game plan” and then launched into a listing of our opponents in the software game.  I was able to find out interesting characteristics of different players and tie those to each of our competitors.  I used Michael Lewis as an example of a player who worked for a bad coach, Gheorghe Muresan represented software that was gangly and uncoordinated and so on.  From there I went on to talk about the importance of having more than just good players, and compared our software to  the winning methods of Dean Smith, who built a great team and had plenty of depth on the bench.  While I did my best to relate the information to software and to keep the connection flowing, it became obvious that my audience did not follow the basketball analogy at all.  In fact, at the conclusion of my presentation, I learned that my attendees thought I was another “arrogant American” who hadn’t taken the time to understand their culture.  I guess including Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo on my list of players wasn’t enough to build a bond.  For me, this was the worst possible outcome because I always try to build rapport with my audience and my trademark style is usually self-deprecating humor.  But it is hard to rely on humor and colloquialisms when you are in a foreign country, so you need to find a different approach. 

Luckily, I was able to make a number of smaller presentations to this same group, and my host explained the communication error. I used the keynote blunder as a conversation starter and was able to turn it into a joke for the rest of the conference.   

My host also made a good point when he said that I would not have been very credible if I had tried to relate the software to say, cricket.   I think he was talking about Jiminy, that Disney cartoon insect but I’m not sure.   

Halloween is the one time of year when us nerdy accountant types can show the world our inner rock star.  Below is an example from one large firm.  

Accountants are not known as the world's best communicators. And I'm not the only one who knows this to be true.  Really.

Here's the explanation from CFO.com of the small number of controllers moving into CFO roles.   " Most controllers haven't done much in the way of presenting their cases in front of constituents like the board, Wall Street analysts, and large investors and instead focus on communicating behind closed doors".

The article ends by stating that Controllers should strive to be "the financially savvy person that the CEO wants to have a discussion with."  We have to learn how to make our knowledge of financial information relevant to the CEO and other corporate stakeholders.

Nerds of the world unite, and join me at the next Toastmasters meeting.