What areas do you have deep knowledge in? How and why?
Originally answered Oct 7, 2017
- Leadership
- Innovation
- Knowledge Management
- English Usage, Writing, and Communications
- Social Media
- Communities of Practice
- Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs)
- Collaboration
- Speaking and Presenting
- Intranets
- Newsletters
- Blogging
How did I develop deep knowledge? Through experience, trying things out, experimenting and innovating, reading, writing, presenting, asking and answering questions, attending and speaking at conferences, networking and talking with other experts, and attending and conducting training.
Why do I know have deep knowledge? Here is a test of expertise I use: If you were asked to meet with a client, present at a conference, or be interviewed for a publication as an expert in a specialty:
- Would you be comfortable doing so?
- Would the client, audience, or interviewer be pleased with you?
Based on my personal experience, I can answer “yes” to both questions. There are also rankings such as Agilence and Quora that infer expert status from data, and there are LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations.
A good test of expertise is how you are perceived by your peers and colleagues in the field. If you ask the thought leaders in the field of knowledge management whom they consider to have deep knowledge in the field, their answers will be meaningful.
