Sometimes it’s not that you have nothing to say. It’s that you stay silent because it seems obvious to you. Or because it doesn’t feel appropriate. Or because someone might think you are showing off.
So you wait. For someone to notice. To appreciate. To discover.
But Cinderella without the Disney fairy tale is simply an exhausted person who does a lot – and never steps out of the shadows.
Deloitte research (Deloitte “Women @ Work 2023: A Global Outlook”) shows that only 35% of women employees feel comfortable talking about their achievements in front of their team. And yet visibility is not an act of ego. It is an element of influence.
Many experts believe they are “not ready to speak yet”. They see how much they still don’t know – and fall into the trap described by the Dunning–Kruger effect: the more you know, the more you see what you don’t know.
As Niels Bohr said:
“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.”
But the world of organisations doesn’t judge the mistakes you have made. The judgement begins with whether you can be heard at all.
So how do you talk about yourself and your knowledge without sounding like a show-off?
You can start with language that shares rather than sells.
Internally, messages like these help:
“I’ve seen a similar solution in another team – if you like, I can tell you what worked there.”
“I have an observation from earlier projects that might be helpful here.”
“I’ve worked on something similar – I’m happy to share it, it might make the start easier.”
“Before we go deeper, it’s probably worth flagging one potential bend in the road – better to avoid it now than halfway through.”
“I’m not sure whether this is the right time for it, but something comes to mind that might be useful.”
In public (e.g. on LinkedIn), you can talk about yourself in a way that invites rather than performs:
“This project taught me more than I expected – a few conclusions may be useful to you too.”
“This isn’t a ready-made recipe, but something that worked for me – perhaps it will be useful for you as well.”
“I’m not an expert in everything, but in this area I can see that I add value – and that’s why I’m writing about it.”
“For years I avoided writing about what I know. Now I know that sharing isn’t bragging – it’s creating space for others.”
An expert who doesn’t stay silent doesn’t have to be the loudest person in the room.
But they can speak up in a way that people remember – and that creates space for action.