Alison Deyette says leaders face an 'expertise gap'

Executive communication expert Alison Deyette says many accomplished professionals know their subject but struggle to explain it clearly under pressure. She argues that clarity, preparation and connection are becoming more important as leaders face higher visibility and AI reshapes how information is shared.

Why it matters: - Deyette says leaders can lose influence when deep expertise does not translate into clear communication. - The problem affects executives, founders, physicians, attorneys, athletes, creators and other subject matter experts. - Strong communication matters in interviews, presentations, investor meetings, internal meetings and public appearances where trust is on the line. - The shift is more urgent as AI can produce information, but people still have to judge it, explain it and persuade others.

What happened: - Executive communication expert Alison Deyette defined “the expertise gap” as the distance between what accomplished professionals know and how clearly they can communicate it when the stakes are high. - Deyette built the concept from more than two decades as an on-camera host, correspondent, producer, interviewer and communication coach. - She says the pattern shows up across leadership ranks and industries: expertise builds credibility, but communication determines whether audiences understand why it matters. - Deyette is available for media interviews and expert commentary on media training, executive communication, public speaking, executive presence and communication challenges in an AI-driven workplace.

The details: - Deyette says organizations often promote people because of what they know, then expect them to explain complex ideas, answer tough questions and win confidence from investors, employers, customers or journalists. - She identifies three skills that help close the gap: clarity, preparation and connection. - Clarity means translating complex knowledge into language an audience can understand, use and remember. - Preparation means organizing the core message, supporting facts and examples without trying to memorize every word. - Connection means using curiosity, relevant personal experience and audience awareness to make information meaningful to others. - Deyette says many communication problems come from trying to include too much, overthinking wording, using unclear messages or focusing on mistakes instead of the audience. - She coaches clients to treat high-visibility communication as service rather than performance. - Deyette also encourages leaders to use stories from their own careers, including hard decisions, setbacks and pivotal moments, to show judgment and character. - Her view is that the goal is not polish for its own sake, but making knowledge useful to the people a leader needs to reach. - Deyette’s company, Alison Deyette Media, offers customized workshops and one-on-one coaching for media interviews, keynote presentations, investor pitches and other high-stakes communications.

Between the lines: - The “expertise gap” frames communication as a leadership skill, not just a presentation skill. - That matters because many leaders are judged less on what they know than on whether others can quickly grasp the relevance of that knowledge. - Deyette’s message also reflects a broader workplace reality: technical skill alone is no longer enough in public-facing roles. - The emphasis on authenticity suggests audiences respond best when experts sound informed, clear and human rather than overly polished.

What's next: - Deyette says the need for these skills will keep rising as executive visibility spreads across digital meetings, podcasts, media interviews, social channels, town halls and conferences. - The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, which drew on more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies, projects leadership and social influence will keep growing in importance through 2030. - Deyette’s work will likely remain focused on helping leaders adapt their expertise to more public, more frequent and more high-stakes communication settings.

The bottom line: - Expertise opens the door. Clear, confident communication determines whether leaders earn trust once they walk through it.