A group of insurance executives met recently for a company meeting. Following their discussions of sales and product development plans, they attended training to become thought leaders. To start the session, the facilitator asked several questions of the group. “How many of you have ever liked a LinkedIn post?” Almost everyone’s hands went up. “How many of you have ever commented on a LinkedIn post?” Fewer hands went up, and most said their comments generally consisted of congratulations for a promotion or job move.

And the last question, “How many of you have shared your own posts on LinkedIn?” elicited just two raised hands.

This isn’t uncommon. This room was filled with experts in emerging technology, underwriting, claims, personal lines processes and commercial lines processes. Collectively, they had significant knowledge and many ideas to share. Yet most had never contributed any of those insights externally. Some said they weren’t exactly sure what to do or how to do it. Others said they didn’t have the time to do it.

Insurance is changing rapidly, and there are more opportunities than ever for executives to make their voices heard. AI, climate risk, shifting customer expectations and regulatory pressures are just some of the relevant issues driving industry discussions. And there’s a big appetite for subject matter expert commentary on issues like these in the media, including insurance trade magazines and podcasts, at conferences and events, and on social media.