Expert or Imposter: Do You Have the Symptoms?

Syndromes exist for everything. We are human; we try to self-diagnose to our own detriment. As a technical communicator, we often face times in our careers when we feel like an expert and times when we are truly acting as an imposter or impostor. These are real syndromes, believe it or not.

The Expert Syndrome is when a person “thinks they understand topics deeply or do things well”, when they may not (Bergells). The Imposter Syndrome is a “psychological pattern in which someone questions their skills, talents, or qualifications and becomes afraid of being exposed as a ‘fraud’” (Stanislaus).

This session will give you an overview into this with actionable steps from others on how to recognize and conquer the “imposter within.”