How to Articulate Your Expertise

If you’re reading this, I’m CERTAIN you’re an expert in something.

Seriously, this could be anything. 

Do you speak another language? 

Do you have siblings?

Were you ever employed?

I’m also certain you have opinions about that thing, opinions that come from your lived experiences. And I’d put money down that some of those experiences make for a great story. 

The CHALLENGE for most people is the ARTICULATION of your expertise, your opinions, and your experiences. 

You could be incredibly well-versed in everything there is to know about Neptune, but if the only way you can talk about it is by stating its equatorial diameter (30,775 miles by the way), well, your audience has already moved on by now. 

Instead, you need to articulate why these facts matter! How?

1. Make them relative to things we already know

2. Connect them with a personal story

3. Explain why we should care
   

1. Make them relative to things we already know Who cares if Neptune’s equatorial diameter is 30,775 miles? I have no idea how to even visualize that! People DO care if you compare that to something we can visualize.  NASA gets this right, when they describe Neptune as being four times wider than Earth. “If Earth were the size of a nickel, Neptune would be about as big as a baseball.” My mind can’t picture how big 30,000 miles is. But it can compare the size of a nickel to a baseball and OHMYGOSH Neptune is HUGE!

2. Connect them with a personal story

What made you interested in Neptune anyway?

A lot of us as kids choose a favourite planet (mine was Saturn - because of the pretty rings). Did you have a specific book about planets, and did the deep blue colour of Neptune always draw you in? Did that same book lead you to become a scientist at NASA?

Now I’ll listen to you!

3. Explain why we should care

Okay, but still. Why do these facts about Neptune matter? Here’s where you bring in those STRONG OPINIONS. 

Maybe the reason you’re so intent on researching Neptune is because you think there’s a valuable resource on the planet that’ll help people live longer. 

Or maybe, with climate change threatening our longevity on Earth, you believe that Neptune is the most viable planet for us to live on.. (unlikely, with a temperature of -353 Fahrenheit, but you get the idea.)

No, this isn’t a science fiction pitch. But it DOES have you listening, doesn’t it?

Of course, thinking about your expertise, defining your opinions, and reflecting on your experiences takes WORK. 

But being able to articulate them to your audience will take your thought leadership to the moon!