Key takeaways
• Seniority gives someone organisational authority, but not necessarily the most relevant expertise for every story.
• Different subjects call for different kinds of authority, from technical expertise to first-hand customer experience.
• Industrial organisations often have far more potential spokespeople than their communications might suggest.
• The right support can help subject matter experts communicate confidently without turning them into corporate performers.
• As AI makes generic content easier to produce at scale, distinctive human expertise becomes increasingly valuable.
Match the spokesperson to the story
The most senior person in an organisation isn’t necessarily the person with the most relevant authority on a particular subject. A product launch might benefit from a senior leader explaining why the investment matters to the business, alongside an engineer who can explain how the technology works and why particular design decisions were made. A case study could be stronger when told by the person who delivered the project and a recruitment story might carry more weight when an apprentice or recent graduate describes their experience than when a senior executive explains the company’s commitment to early careers.
It shouldn’t be a case of simply thinking ‘to whom can we attribute the quote?’, rather ‘who would have the most interesting and credible insight on this topic?’ That shift can uncover a much broader pool of expertise across the organisation, including people whose knowledge might otherwise never make it into internal or external communications.
Of course, expertise doesn’t automatically make someone a confident orator. That’s where communications teams have a role to play: briefing people properly, helping them understand the audience, providing media training where appropriate, and making clear what can and can’t be discussed. The aim is to give them the confidence to explain what they genuinely know, without turning them into corporate performers.
First-hand experience cuts through the noise
Hannah Kitchener
Associate Director
About the author
Hannah is an associate director in the UK, leading strategic campaigns for industrial clients across the EMEA region. A professionally qualified journalist (NCTJ), she combines specialist sectoral knowledge in construction, energy, and materials handling with a strong network of trade media contacts to secure valuable coverage. Her expertise in inter-cultural communication, honed by degrees in modern languages and translation, is key to executing campaigns that succeed across diverse European markets.
