During my AI in Marketing course, I came across a simple statement that stayed with me:
“Talk your audience’s language.”
At first, it appeared to be a marketing principle — adapt your pitch to the language your audience understands. If you are speaking with Finance, for example, they may be less interested in personalisation or engagement, but they will understand ROI, cost, revenue and sales.
But when I connected this idea with what I have learned in Business Consulting and People & Organisation, I realised it goes much further than marketing.
It is about understanding people.
Whether we are presenting a business solution, proposing change, introducing AI, consulting with a client, or selling a service, sometimes we focus too much on demonstrating how much we know.
We explain the technology.
We explain our expertise.
We explain why our solution is good.
But that may not be what the person in front of us needs to hear.
Effective communication starts with understanding
Who am I talking to?
What matters to them?
What problem are they trying to solve?
What information will help them make a decision?
A Finance Manager may want to hear about ROI.
A CEO may want to understand business growth and risk.
A Marketing Manager may focus on customer engagement and conversion.
And a customer simply wants to know, “How will this help me?”
This has reminded me of something fundamental about both consulting and selling:
We are not selling how smart we are. We are helping people see the value of what we offer — in a language that matters to them.
Technology changes. AI will continue to evolve. But understanding people, listening carefully, and communicating value from their perspective rather than ours will remain an essential business skill.
Sometimes the most powerful pitch is not saying more. It is understanding better.
Sipim Piwatthongchai
Business Consultant · Modern Business Strategy & AI