Expertise or humility?
You’re an expert on something.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons you started writing.
Unfortunately, experts tend to be a bit self-promoting and arrogant, and arrogance is a sure way to lose your readers.
The opposite approach won’t work either. Timid, non-confrontational storytelling doesn’t do justice to the value you can contribute to your readers.
So, what’s a writer to do?
This is precisely the question I asked myself at the outset of my blogging journey.
Starting On The Wrong Foot
Whatever I’ve learned was a result of doing things wrong at first. When I began blogging, I imagined a Battle Royale between writing with humility and demonstrating expertise.
I believed that inserting too much “me” into a post would reveal my lack of age and experience, and that everyone would just get bored.
I veered toward broad generalizations, making concise assertions that I believed were true based on what little experience I had.
The resulting posts were preachy and flimsy. I sounded like an egotistical computer. HAL, maybe.
Finally, I did something smart and started to study the pros, bloggers like Leo Babauta who write with a perfectly unassuming authority.
Eventually, I noticed that humility and expertise are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they make for a powerful combination.
Humility & Expertise Go Hand In Hand
How can we achieve both humility and expertise in the same breath? Here are 7 lessons I’ve learned so far.
1. Remember that humility is endearing and demonstrates strength.
Humility creates a natural connection to your reader. Acknowledging failures makes you seem human to your readers. On top of that, your failure validates how you came into the knowledge that you’re presenting. Failures can even be a great source of humor.
Being authentic and vulnerable also shows confidence. You’re willing to lay it on the line, imperfections and all. This confidence – without arrogance – is exactly what will draw readers to you.
2. Stay present to your own learning journey.
In our excitement to share what we know, it’s easy to forget that whatever knowledge we now possess is the result of a learning process.
Recounting your experience allows your reader to relate to you. By identifying with your story, your readers can make inferences and convince themselves of the relevance of what you have to say.
By staying present to your own journey – where you started, how you transformed, where you are now – you give your knowledge necessary context.
3. Limit generalizations.
Generalizations have their time and place – they’re great for headers, topic sentences and summarizing points. I think of them as structure – the pathway, walls and doors that guide your reader to the place you want them to go.
Once you’ve used generalizations to create structure, you can dive right into the details, which bring your expertise to life.
4. Get your narrative voices straight (“I” vs. “you” vs. “we”).
“I” is the most powerful way to tell a story. Your stories are powerful credentials and hooks. They draw your reader in, letting them know who you are (a human, just like them!). Telling a story in the first person is also a kind of evidence-based approach to making an argument. Just as citing your sources lends you credibility, citing your experience does so as well.
“You” is the voice we use when speaking to a friend. This is the riskiest voice because it can easily become preachy, but it is also essential in order to connect with your reader. Every time you use this voice, try speaking the lines aloud as if to an imagined friend over a drink or dinner. If you don’t feel comfortable saying it to a friend, it won’t sound right to your reader either.
“We” is a great voice for making generalizations. Just because we know something and want to share it with our readers doesn’t mean we’re superior, right? “We” is a great way to humbly make assertions about the way things are because we show ourselves as equals to our readers.
5. Demonstrate humility and expertise in separate parts of the post.
A (brief) personal back-story gives necessary context, makes you seem more human, and validates your expertise. This is a good time to foreshadow your learning but you don’t need to make assertions yet.
Once you’ve established context and humility, you’re ready to share the lessons you’ve learned. Now you can switch to the second person or first person plural.
6. Stand for what you believe, while acknowledging it’s just your belief.
Just because you’re humble doesn’t mean you aren’t going to put a stake in the ground.
Equivocating – reporting information without adding your perspective – will bore your readers to death. After all, it’s your perspective that your readers are after.
We merely need to recognize that what we’re presenting is not a dogma handed down from on high. It is not a universal truth. It is a truth in our lives, at this moment.
Acknowledge the limits of your knowledge and you can largely preempt the challengers and naysayers.
7. Re-read and re-write your post aloud a few days later (or more).
Even using every trick in the book, we can’t always strike the proper tone. Putting our writing aside and revising it later may still be the best tool of all.
Hear yourself reacting to the tone and word choice, and re-write the post while you can still feel that reaction. Your instinct will easily recognize places where you’ve been too abstract or impersonal, too assertive or preachy, or just too verbose.
No need to be down on yourself for missing the mark on the first try – that’s what you and countless other great writers throughout history have had to do to get to the right end result.
Please share your own experience in the comments: How do you strike a balance between humility and expertise?
About The Author:
Taylor Jacobson is an adventurer, entrepreneur and blogger at 21 Switchbacks, a community of thoughtful people committed to creating remarkable lives. Join him and get instant access to 10 Resources To Change Your Mind & Life.
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I personally find that when you make education your focus as an expert and writer, it is easy to find that balance. First of all, your message should be to and about your readers, so that takes the focus off of you. Secondly, you speak to them as if they were in your presence. Very few people know intentionally talks down to people; and the arrogant people I know do listen very briefly before opening the floodgates talking about themselves. And lastly, think about how you want to be addressed, and do the same for your readers.
Marcie recently posted..Read My Guest Post On Melinda Emerson’s Succeed As Your Own Boss
Marcie, I really like your observation that no one intentionally speaks down to people. That is helpful to remember when we’re on the receiving end! :) ~ Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
I taught Presentation Skills in the international corporate environment for many years. Most people are terrified of making speeches, even to friends or colleagues. I always told my students, “You can’t possibly make a mistake I haven’t already made. Relax!” And I would tell them embarrassing moments from my own experience that related to the major topics we discussed. For them, I think it was often their favorite part of the seminar. I hope they felt that, if this “expert” had such calamities, they had nothing to worry about.
Jay Gordon recently posted..Cowboy poetry in Willits, Mendocino County (Photos)
Jay, that is brilliant. I got a good chuckle just thinking about it. Experts really have to go through a lot of failure; may as well get some good laughs and credibility out of it :) ~Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
Thank you, Taylor. That’s encouraging. I’m working on an e-book on Presentation Skills for beginners. Maybe I’ll include more stories of my personal stumbles to ingratiate myself to readers and reassure them. ;)
– Jay
Jay Gordon recently posted..Cowboy poetry in Willits, Mendocino County (Photos)
I agree with sharing your personal stories. It’s great to let readers know that you are also human and you have experienced their same problems before.
So I usually share a personal obstacle I encountered that is related to the topic and how I overcame it.
Jevon recently posted..King Larsen Trailer 14: The King of Hansguard
As an editor of a few books based on special expertise, I have a comment about using “you” vs. “we.”
Reading a book is a very intimate experience between the author and his or her reader. Therefore I believe that the author should respect the relationship and use “you” instead of “we.” This is a one-on-one relationship! The writer may use a few universal “we”s when appropriate, but in the reader’s mind, it is all about the “you.”
On the other hand, when a speaker is addressing a crowd, “we” is absolutely appropriate, especially when the speaker peppers the oratory with a few personal “you”s in order to address and honor the individual in the mass.
Thank you for this post—it is wonderful, new material!
I really like this insight Mary. Making this distinction is something I’m still working on and have gotten wrong many times. I’m going to stretch myself to use “you” more! ~Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
Great post. Being there for your reader, being the “I experienced this” writer, creates a great relationship from the first sentence on. Think of memorable posts you’ve read and you will find the writer took a leap of faith and shared personal experience. But sometimes it’s not that easy to do–it’s always risky when you share yourself.
Thanks.
Beth Havey recently posted..When It Is Time for the Adult Child and Parent to Move in Together
Thank you for the kind words Beth!! ~Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
Your first sentence struck a chord with me: “You’re an expert on something.” Of course I am! And though there are countless blogs out there, surely I can have the confidence to use my expertise, to take action–always the hardest part!
Sound advice re: writing throughout your post.
Thanks for a beautifully designed site.
Vivi recently posted..“A Little Child Shall Lead Them”
Glad to see you’re taking action Vivi :) ~Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
Taylor, yes, glad to hear you mention the rewrite aspect. Inexplicably, the more I blog, the more I rewrite the posts before I publish them. They go through various versions to ensure they’re useful, succinct, logical, and finally that they sound friendly. These days, I trash at least one idea for every one I upload. The failures just don’t seem up to my standard, or just aren’t worthy of other people’s time. Consequently, I publisher fewer and fewer. I think that’s a good thing.
pj reece recently posted..Bogey and Me
Amazing. Perhaps we just have to get more and more comfortable with throwing away our own writing and appreciating that it’s not a waste, it’s just part of the process :) Thanks PJ. Enjoyed your blog post, too! ~Taylor
Taylor recently posted..How To Guarantee Your Failure
You’re right – it’s a fine line to walk between believing in yourself and being insufferable. The good ones can walk it; the bad ones fail as soon as they begin.
RD Meyer recently posted..Breaking the Rules of Writing
Yes, sharing one’s own personal stories creates an impact on the readers. This is, indeed, a great post. Thank you for your bright ideas.
Nila recently posted..Friendship Knows no Boundaries