I lack the ability to clearly communicate technical issues to c-level execs and business units. How do I learn this skill?

I seem to lack this ability that seems necessary to progress my career past a certain level. How could I ever be a higher level network architect if I can’t walk into a room with execs or business directors and explain anything to them in English that they’re going to understand?

I’ve always been more of an introvert personality wise, and I’m far more comfortable interfacing with technology than I am with people.

But because of this I fit a very skewed and often unjustified stereotype of “geeky IT staff” that often hurts our cause.

When I jump straight into explanation about RIB vs FIB entries or split-brain failure scenarios I’m not deliberately being an arrogant snoot trying to talk down on others like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. It’s just that I don’t really know how to articulate stuff to be digested by management in any meaningful way.

I’m at a point in my career where I’m being put in front of these people more and more and I’m distressed that often by the time I leave the room, no one has understood the specific problems or bought into my proposed solutions at all, and we’re often worse off.

For example a discussion about a limit of our architecture and the difference between lan and wan latency has unexpectedly led to bringing a consultant in. Now I feel like I let the whole team down.

How do you get better at politics and translating Technobabble into “business language?”