How To Let Others Know What You're Good At

There are many ways to let others know that you're well-versed in a subject:

1) Show them your credentials and certifications.

Probably the default way here in sunny Singapore, this definitely works with the right crowd.

For example, you'd want to do this if you're presenting to a group of academics.

You might want to skip this if your audience comprises self-made business owners who didn't go through tertiary education.

2) Present your successful and not-so-successful case studies

This may or may not be in the form of a story.

Maybe it's the scientist in me, or maybe it's my information hoarding tendencies that say, "Just the facts, Ma'am," but, personally, I don't like presenters who tell a story for everything.

Certain things can just be a list on a slide, a chart, or a graph.

My point is, present your case studies in a way that makes sense to your audience. And switch up your methods as necessary.

This isn't one-size-fits-all.

3) Make your knowledge accessible

Any time someone asks for your opinion / advice, give it to them.

Build up an archive of what you know, and put it up where others can find it.

I started with a blog, then social platforms, and now I'm working towards podcasting and videos.

I didn't say to give it away for free, necessarily.

Charge for it if you want, but make it accessible.

Nobody will know what you know, if they don't know that you know what you know.

I'll stop now and give you a second to process that.

From Enthusiast to Expert, Now You Need to Be a Communicator. Of Your Expertise.

Something strange happens when a person gets interested in a topic.

They think about it constantly, immerse themselves in it, and learn as much about it as they can.

As a result of this constant exposure, they pick up new information, jargon, ways of looking at things, ways of doing things, and so on.

And then they try to explain what they know to people 'on the outside'.

And the 'outside people' don't quite understand, or they don't 'get it'.

If this has happened to you, you have crossed the line.

Into the realm of expertise.

And communicating your expertise effectively is the next step you'll have to take.

Help Those Who Cannot See What You Can, and Work With Those Who Can See What You Cannot

Being able to "see" doesn't always carry over.

I'm able to "see" the connections between disparate bits of information, the photograph before it's taken, and the potential branches of possible outcomes due to a word spoken or action taken.

But I'm not able to "see" the potential of a blank canvas (which happens to be an ability that my remarkable wife has when she looks at an empty or half-finished house), the video before it's recorded, or the flow of actions needed to put a piece of IKEA furniture (or any furniture, for that matter) together.

Often, I'm not even able to see an object that I'm looking for, that is right in front of me, but isn't in the orientation I expect it to be in.

What I'm able to "see" seems wondrous and magical to those who cannot, but the things that I cannot "see", I find amazing in those who can.

We're not all cut from the same cloth.

And I'm thankful for that.

Novelty Leads to Change. Do We Like Only One, and Not the Other?

People like new things that are novel.

They don't like new things that bring change.

And yet, doesn't the former almost always lead to the latter?

As an expert in your field, you got to where you are based on your past experiences.

The future will not remain the same.

Hence the need for constant learning and updating.

That is, if you want to continue being a recognised expert in your field.