Do you believe “it’s all been said” within your industry or profession?

Is that belief stopping you from sharing your wisdom, regardless of your passion for what you know and the process of learning it? You’ve concluded “what’s the point?” Fear not!

Many Subject Matter Experts undervalue their expertise, thinking everyone in the world already knows what these experts know. Is that you, to one degree or another? That could not be further from the truth. While others know bits and pieces of what you know, they could not possibly know ALL of what you know. You’ve had different experiences along the way than anyone else has. Your interpretation of what you learned is based on your worldview, general perspective, learning style, and many other elements.

Think back on a real life, basic example. When you were a child, one parent taught you something, your teacher at school taught you the same thing, and your best friend’s parent also taught you that same thing. Odds are high that one of those three people taught it to you in a way that made more of an impact, and easier for you to understand and remember, so you had no difficulty recalling it now while reading this article. 

Maybe one used a different example you could better relate to, or the specific words they said resonated better with you, or they used some kind of props to teach you. Those are a few of many ways they differed from each other before there is any consideration of their difference in personality styles - humorous, talking AT you not WITH you, engaging you in the process, talking very fast, including something that was easily relatable for you, and on and on. 

Human presentation style can make or break the success of the learning process single handedly. Being candid and direct is not everyone’s cup of tea, while it’s ideal for other people, for instance.

How can you get clear on what your winning uniqueness is that’s your differentiator? You may already know, or this article might be the first time you’ve ever thought about it. See if some or several things resonate with you:

• Your topic - a small, unique,niche within a larger subject

• Your perspective - contrarian, current rather than traditional 

• Personality style - wrapped in humor, lecture vs. interaction

• Delivery format - tips, narrative, read, listen, watch, interactive

• Gender - a woman in a man’s field, a man in a woman’s field

• Cultural - knowledge that your culture/community has yet to know

• Life journey - your formal education came later in life

This is a sample and far from exhaustive list. It’s intended to shine a light on aspects you might take for granted about you, your expertise, and its value. As you take inventory of who you are from this perspective, consider what jumps out at you, something you’re known for among your colleagues, friends, and family.  Your awareness of one or more elements of yourself can make it easier for you to rely on them even more than you might already be doing.

A topic reflecting your expertise may become more interesting and compelling than its natural dryness by offering some humor packaging in how you present it if appropriate. Or you are aware that others have authored 200-page books on similar aspects of your knowledge. You can present your rendition of that information as you see it and in other delivery shorter formats like audio, card decks, booklets, games, and puzzles broken into how-to tips rather than narrative and offered in languages beyond only English. 

A final thought for you to ponder when you feel stopped in your tracks by what you perceive to be a “crowded, saturated field” in your profession:

Given the billions of quasi-intelligent people in just the English-speaking world, there is no way any of us could ever reach everyone who could be our client. So keep going. Do YOUR part in bringing what you know and who you are to those people who you can reach who so tremendously appreciate who you are and what you do.

© 2024, Paulette Ensign    All Rights Reserved