You can be the most knowledgeable person in the room and still struggle to get your point across.
Knowing something and being able to explain it are two very different skills.
That distinction came up repeatedly in this episode of Communicast: A Communication Skills Podcast, where Scott D’Amico spoke with Jesston Williams, Executive Director and co-founder of Tangelic, about leadership, communication, adaptability, and the importance of making complex ideas understandable.
Jesston’s work often involves explaining complex topics to very different audiences, from engineers and investors to government officials and community leaders. The facts may stay the same, but the language, level of detail, and emphasis often need to change.
Knowing Something Isn’t the Same as Explaining It
Expertise matters.
But expertise alone does not guarantee effective communication.
You can know your subject inside and out and still leave other people confused.
Jesston made that point clearly when discussing complex topics like energy systems, climate finance, carbon markets, community development, and policy. Being knowledgeable about those subjects is one skill. Being able to explain them so someone else understands is another.
This is where many professionals run into trouble.
They assume the audience knows more than it does.
They use too much jargon.
They provide more detail than the audience needs.
Or they focus so heavily on demonstrating expertise that the actual message gets buried.
Strong communicators do something different.
They translate.
Being Articulate Isn’t the Same as Being Clear
Jesston also pointed out that people sometimes confuse being articulate with being an effective communicator.
Someone can sound polished, confident, and impressive while still leaving the audience wondering what the point was.
That is not effective communication.
Clarity is ultimately about understanding.
Did the other person understand what you were trying to say?
Did you understand what they were trying to tell you?
And did both of you leave with the same understanding of what happens next?
Those questions are more useful than asking whether you sounded impressive.
This is a critical part of strong presentation skills. The goal is not to sound smart. The goal is to make sure the audience understands what matters and what they should do with that information.
Simplify Without Dumbing It Down
There is an important difference between simplifying a message and oversimplifying it.
Simplifying means removing unnecessary complexity.
It means using language the audience can understand.
It means identifying what matters most and making that easier to follow.
It does not mean stripping away important nuance.
Jesston’s advice near the end of the episode was straightforward: if you really understand something, you should be able to explain it without hiding behind jargon.
That principle applies across almost every profession.
A financial expert needs to explain numbers to non-finance leaders.
An engineer needs to explain technical risks to executives.
A scientist needs to communicate findings to decision-makers.
A manager needs to explain priorities to a team.
A salesperson needs to translate product capabilities into business value.
The stronger your expertise, the more important it becomes to make that expertise accessible.
Same Facts, Different Audience
One of the strongest examples from the conversation was Jesston’s explanation of how he communicates the same initiative to different stakeholders.
An engineer, investor, government official, and community leader may all need to understand the same project.
The underlying facts should not change.
But the language should.
The level of detail should.
The emphasis should.
That is audience adaptation.
It is also one of the most important capabilities in executive presentation skills, where leaders often need to communicate the same strategy differently depending on who is in the room.
Effective communicators do not change the truth.
They change the way they frame the truth so the audience can understand why it matters.
Listen Before You Decide How to Explain
You cannot adapt your communication if you do not understand the audience.
That is where listening becomes critical.
Jesston emphasized that listening is not simply waiting for the other person to stop talking.
It means understanding what they are saying, why they are saying it, and what may be underneath the words.
Listening helps answer questions like:
- What does this person already know?
- What are they concerned about?
- What level of detail do they need?
- What assumptions are they making?
- What matters most to them?
Once you understand those things, you can make better choices about how to explain your message.
Questions Can Be More Valuable Than Answers
Expertise often creates pressure to have the answer.
But Jesston argued that some of the most valuable people in the room are the ones who ask the questions that make everyone stop and think.
Good questions create clarity.
They uncover assumptions.
They expose gaps in understanding.
And they help people think more deeply about the problem in front of them.
This is especially useful when a conversation starts getting buried in technical detail.
A well-timed question can bring everyone back to the real issue:
What are we actually trying to accomplish?
That question often matters more than another five minutes of explanation.
Direct Communication Does Not Have to Be Disrespectful
Clarity also matters when the message is uncomfortable.
Jesston noted that good communication is not always comfortable communication.
Sometimes leaders need to disagree.
Sometimes they need to give difficult feedback.
Sometimes they need to tell someone something that person does not want to hear.
The challenge is being direct without being disrespectful and empathetic without becoming so vague that the message disappears.
This is where strong persuasive communication skills become especially important. Effective influence is not about avoiding disagreement. It is about handling disagreement in a way that preserves clarity, respect, and forward progress.
Technical Expertise Has a Ceiling Without Communication
Near the end of the episode, Jesston made one of the strongest career-development points in the conversation.
You can be technically excellent.
You can know your subject better than almost anyone else in the room.
But if you cannot explain your thinking, listen to other people, build relationships, or handle disagreement, those limitations eventually begin to hold you back.
This is why communication should not be treated as an optional “soft skill.”
It is part of your professional skill set.
As responsibilities grow, so does the need to communicate through other people.
You need others to understand your ideas.
You need them to act on them.
You need to build alignment.
You need to explain complexity.
You need to navigate disagreement.
And all of that depends on communication.
Seek Feedback on How Your Message Lands
One of the most practical ways to close the gap between knowing and explaining is to ask for feedback.
After an important meeting or presentation, Jesston recommends asking someone you trust:
- Was I clear?
- Was there anything I could have explained better?
- How did I come across?
That kind of feedback helps reveal the difference between the message you intended to send and the message the audience actually received.
For professionals who want more individualized feedback and practice, one-on-one communication coaching can help identify those gaps and strengthen the way complex ideas are delivered.
Communicate Problems Early
Clear communication also means being willing to raise issues before they become bigger problems.
Jesston encouraged listeners to communicate mistakes and concerns early.
If you make a mistake, say it.
If you see something going wrong, raise it.
If you do not understand something, ask.
Hiding a problem does not make it disappear. It usually creates more problems later.
This is another example of why communication is not simply about presentation.
It is about judgment, timing, transparency, and trust.
Final Thoughts
Knowing your subject matters.
But knowing is only part of the job.
The real value comes when you can help someone else understand it.
That means simplifying without losing meaning.
Adapting without changing the facts.
Listening before deciding how to explain.
Asking better questions.
And being willing to examine whether your communication is actually landing the way you intended.
The gap between knowing and explaining is where many professionals get stuck.
Closing that gap is what turns expertise into influence.
