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Someone asked me on a podcast this morning:

Why do even great communicators struggle to make their ideas land?

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Here’s the gist of what I said (episode will be out in a couple weeks):

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You’ve probably got 20+ years of hard-won expertise.

So when someone asks a question or books a call, you can just…riff.

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That’s the first layer: free-flow conversation.

It’s intuitive, reactive, and totally natural.

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The problem is most expertise never escapes that level.

And in turn, it disappears the moment the conversation ends.

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If you want your thinking to travel further…

To not just evaporate into thin air, it needs more shape.

More distillation.

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Here’s how I think about it:

🌀 The Five Layers of Expertise Expression

1. Free-flow conversation - just talking
2. Structured conversation - key pillars, guided flow
3. Polished talking points - soundbite clarity
4. Written word - Posts, emails, courses, talks
5. Visual assets - your unique lens on something, in one glance

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Naturally, each layer takes more effort.

But each layer makes your thinking more clear, concise, and portable.

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That final level, you know by now, is what I call an ‘intellectual headshot’

It’s visual, strikingly simple, and distinctly yours.

And if it’s done right, it can do the talking for you.

Long after, or long before, your next client meeting.

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Want to try distilling your own ideas to that final layer?

Try this question:

“On your last sales call, what's something you struggled to communicate?”

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Write what you wanted to say.

Then sketch what you wrote.

It doesn’t have to be fancy.

Just clear.

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And if you want help, I do this kind of thing all the time.

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💡

-Wes