David is a mid-career cybersecurity manager who hires junior analysts. He has learned that the candidate with the strongest technical knowledge is not always the person who will be most effective on his team.

David needs analysts who can understand vulnerabilities, investigate problems, and recommend solutions. But a security issue rarely remains inside the IT department. Analysts may have to explain the same problem to engineers, managers, clients, or senior executives—people who need to make decisions but may know very little about cybersecurity.

David has watched technically talented employees struggle because they cannot translate what they know. They use jargon, give far more detail than the audience needs, or become frustrated when others do not understand. From David’s perspective, the technical work is not complete until the people who need the information can actually use it.

Is someone fully technically competent if they cannot explain their work to other people? What should employers value when hiring for highly specialized roles? And how can colleges help students practice communicating with people who do not share their expertise?