Why organisations need Brand Champions, not just experts

If you've become the person people turn to for answers, there's a good chance your role has changed in ways you didn't expect. Alongside doing your job, you're increasingly asked to explain it, present it, defend it and represent your organisation in front of customers, colleagues, journalists and industry peers.

These opportunities rarely arrive because you're a professional communicator. They arrive because you've become known for your expertise. The more experience you gain, the more likely you are to find yourself speaking at customer events, contributing to webinars, joining podcasts, recording videos or answering questions after presentations. Before long, communication has become an important part of your role, even if nobody has ever shown you how to prepare for it.

Anyone responsible for developing people will probably recognise this pattern immediately. Organisations invest heavily in building subject matter expertise, leadership capability and technical skills. What often receives less attention is preparing experts for the moments when they're asked to represent the organisation publicly.

Whether you realise it or not, you've become one of your organisation's Brand Champions. Not because you work in marketing or communications, but because every time you speak publicly, answer a difficult question or explain your area of expertise, you're helping shape how people perceive the business you represent.

Why expertise isn't the whole story

Over the years, I've worked with software engineers, product marketing managers, technical specialists, and senior executives, many of whom arrived at a workshop wondering whether they really needed communication skills training. They already knew their subject inside out, regularly spoke with customers and colleagues, and assumed that experience alone would carry them through presentations, interviews and panel discussions.

By the end of the workshop, many admitted they'd changed their mind.

What surprised them wasn't that they struggled to answer questions. It was recognising how much they had been relying on instinct. They prepared the content thoroughly but hadn't always considered what the audience most wanted to hear, which messages were genuinely memorable or how easily an important conversation could drift away from the points they wanted people to leave with.

None of this reflected a lack of expertise. If anything, it reflected years of building knowledge without ever being given practical frameworks for communicating it. When you know a subject deeply, it's natural to want to explain everything. The challenge is that audiences rarely need everything. They need the right information, delivered clearly, confidently and in a way that feels relevant to them.

Public communication skills help you prepare, not just perform

People often assume communication skills training is about becoming more charismatic or learning to present with greater confidence. Whilst confidence often grows as a result, that's rarely where the biggest transformation happens.

The real value comes from knowing how to prepare. When you understand how to identify your core message, anticipate the questions that are likely to come your way and structure your thinking before you begin speaking, communication becomes far less stressful. Instead of trying to think whilst talking, you already have a framework to guide the conversation. That gives you the freedom to listen more carefully, respond more naturally and focus on the audience rather than worrying about yourself.

Preparation doesn't make you sound scripted. It helps you communicate with greater clarity, credibility and impact, even when the conversation takes an unexpected turn.

Why this matters to organisations

Every organisation has people whose expertise deserves to be heard. Increasingly, they're the people customers want to meet, journalists want to interview and event organisers want on stage. They bring authenticity, practical experience and real credibility because they're close to the work.

Helping those people develop strong public communication skills isn't about turning them into polished presenters. It's about helping them represent both themselves and the organisation more effectively whenever those opportunities arise.

For organisations, this creates more confident spokespeople, more consistent messaging and greater confidence that important conversations are in safe hands.

For individuals, it means feeling prepared rather than apprehensive whenever the spotlight turns in their direction.

Becoming a Brand Champion

Most people never decide to become a brand champion, they simply become one through the opportunities their expertise creates.

Every presentation, customer meeting, podcast, conference, media interview or leadership update becomes another opportunity to build trust, strengthen relationships and help people remember not only what you know, but why it matters.

Expertise may open the door, but it's communication that determines what people remember. Learning how to prepare for those moments isn't about changing who you are. It's about making sure your expertise has the impact it deserves.

If this article has prompted you to think differently about how you prepare for presentations, interviews and other important communication opportunities, I'd love you to join me at my next free 'Create Your Magnetic Message' Masterclass.

Together, we'll explore practical frameworks that help you communicate with greater clarity, confidence and impact, whatever the occasion.

Find out more and reserve your free place: Create your Magnetic Message