Harwell Thrasher founded MakingITclear, Inc. in 2002 to – as the company name suggests – "make IT clear" for business people who are mystified by technology. Seeing the huge communication gap between business and IT people in most companies and organizations – and the "misalignment" that results – Harwell was determined to do something to solve the problem. His early focus was on writing a regular newsletter for IT executives to help them build a more business-friendly culture. This led to speaking engagements for both business and IT audiences, and the speaking led to a book, Boiling the IT Frog: How to Make Your Business Information Technology Wildly Successful Without Having to Learn Anything Technical.

Harwell continues to speak on topics related to his book and based on his more than thirty-five years of IT and business experience. Topics such as these:

• How to Demystify IT for your CEO
  
  
• How to Make Your Business Information Technology Wildly Successful Without Having to Learn Anything Technical [a summary of the book]
  
  
• How to Align IT and the Business
  
  
• IT Strategy - Everything You Need to Know
  
  
• Technology is Not Enough – What's Needed to Make Today's IT Organizations Successful
  
  
• Information Technology Secrets for the Non-Technical Business Person: What's Important to Know
  
  
• Information Technology Strategy: Why, What, How
  
  
• How to Reduce Risk in Information Technology Projects
  
  
• The Impact of Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures on IT
  
  
• Information Technology Due Diligence: Why, What, How
  
  

Harwell’s audiences enjoy a speaker who has a clear picture of the business/IT gap from both sides, and can provide enough perspective for either group to understand the other. Throw in real-life examples, humorous stories, and outrageous statements, and you get a fun mix that both educates and entertains. Technology as a topic can be deadly dull, but not with Harwell talking about it!

Here is What Audiences Had to Say:
“Your presentation was well received and very successful! ... You presented business/IT communication with simplicity and clarity and I want to learn more.” --Charlie Reilly, Program Co-Chair, Society for Information Management, Dallas / Ft. Worth Chapter

“I have heard nothing but positive feedback on your presentation.“ --Marge Hayes, VP Programs, Society for Information Management, Chicago Chapter

“... the presentation was a valuable insight into the creativity, expertise, concerns, and fears of the IT organization. Mr. Thrasher also high­lighted several areas where we, as technical communicators, can help businesses and IT organizations overcome some of the problems endemic in these processes. Understanding how and why IT organizations behave as they do not only helps us understand how we can help ease these problems, but how they can open doors to our professional development.” -- Bill McClain, 2nd VP, Atlanta Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC)

Example Audio and Presentation Slides:
Download a September, 2007 webinar with Harwell as the featured speaker. 1/2 hour presentation + 1/2 hour Q&A. The webinar was hosted by Cogentes, and is available in two formats:

• Downloadable WMV File (opens in Windows Media Player) (70mb)
• Downloadable MP4 Podcast file (29MB)
  
  

Contact Harwell directly for booking information:
speaking@makingITclear.com