What are they talking about? I don’t understand the jargon and acronyms they are using. What exactly is this person trying to say?

This is what people may say about your communication.

It seems so easy for you because you know it. It’s a different thing to communicate what you know.

It is even more challenging to combine what you know. Then consider how you communicate or show what you know. Finally, think about what they know.

To become a better writer and communicator, you need a fresh perspective. It’s critical to approach the topic as if seeing it for the first time.

You assume your readers have the same “knowledge” as you do. They don’t.

You must explain your knowledge as you would when speaking to your parents.

You have the curse of knowledge bias.

What is the curse of knowledge?

The curse of knowledge is a thinking bias. It occurs when a person, while communicating with another, unknowingly assumes that the other person has the same knowledge. They also think the same background is needed to understand what you are saying.

Some people call this the curse of knowledge bias, or the curse of expertise.

For example:

• In your writing, it can show up when you don’t explain your knowledge.
• In computer programming, it can occur when a programmer fails to produce understandable code.
• In the classroom, teachers may struggle to teach students because they can’t put themselves in the students’ shoes.

Economists coined the term “curse of knowledge” in an article in the Journal of Political Economy.

The concept gained widespread attention in the popular book Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

The book describes a 1990 study by Elizabeth Newton, a Stanford University graduate student.

She divided her study participants into two groups: tappers and listeners. The tappers played songs while the listeners guessed them.

The result: the tappers were moderately confident the listeners could guess them.

That wasn’t the case. Only 1 in 40 songs was correctly guessed.

This shows the power of ambiguity and misunderstanding. It happens to all of us. It even happens to the experts.

We all have ideas we want to share, and we know which ones we want others to know.

The key is not to be so overly confident that your readers and listeners know what you mean.

Your messages are often hidden in what you write and say, as well as in your body language.

Don’t assume your audience knows what you are talking about.

• Be specific.
• Over-communicate.
• Explain the basics, even if they may be boring to you.

How to avoid the curse of knowledge

Here are five critical tips to help you avoid the pitfalls created by the curse of knowledge bias.

1. Use simple language

Avoid jargon and gobbledygook; use plain, simple language. We don’t need to “leverage our synergies.”

We don’t need many acronyms, like PANS, POS, ROFL, SMH, YOLO, and WTH.

For those who don’t know these acronyms:

• PANS is pretty awesome new stuff
• POS is parents over shoulder
• ROFL is rolling on the floor laughing
• SMH is shaking my head
• WTH is what the heck

To prevent gaps in knowledge with your audience, explain every technical term, like these website terms:

• The front end is the part of the website that can be seen and used by users
• HTML is a hypertext markup language
• Sitemaps are outlines or maps of website pages

Even if it seems obvious to you, it doesn’t mean your audience finds it obvious. You use the acronyms or terms frequently. Your audience may not.

The key is to make sure you are on a level playing field about definitions and terminology. 

This is where learning and communication start.

2. Polish your writing

Read your article slowly, and don’t read between the lines.

• What words are actually on the paper, not in your head?
• What does each sentence say?
• What is missing from my story or explanation?

Polishing your writing takes some time, especially if you want to do it correctly.

Once you have the right mindset for editing and polishing, you can review your articles and stories more quickly.

When you edit, don’t remove parts of your article that readers want to read.

When you edit, be careful not to cut an anecdotal story or a metaphor.

Also, make sure each sentence has one main thought and is memorable.

Tighten up your writing. Remove redundant words and phrases. Go through your writing with a highlighter. Mark all the sentences you love.

Keep those and remove or tweak the rest. The best writing is clear, concise, and polished.

3. Use examples, analogies, and personal stories

An analogy helps you simplify complex subjects.

An example makes an abstract concept real. A personal story shows vulnerability to your audience.

All of these things help you gain trust.

It always helps to tell stories that highlight both the worst and the best. People like to see the positive and the negative.

Telling stories is a great way to build your credibility.

Analogies are great for deepening understanding.

Using examples helps add value with facts. All three help your audience relate to you and your topic.

4. Break it down into smaller parts

Your topic can come easily to you, but that doesn’t mean it will come easily to your audience. Consider every step or part of the outcome.

Think about it like tying your shoes or tying a tie.

It’s essential to teach each step or skill needed separately. Then, after your audience learns that step or skill, they gain new skills.

Think of it as chapters in a book. Each chapter builds on the last one to tell a big story — your articles must do the same thing.

Also, take things slowly, so you don’t teach too much at once. Break a topic into parts and go deeper on each one.

When you put all the parts together, you’ll get a more educated audience.

5. Ask for feedback and empathize

To confirm your audience understands what you are saying, ask for feedback.

This will allow you to assess your knowledge compared to others.

Keep communicating with your audience, especially if they leave comments on your articles.

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

William Arthur Ward, an American motivational writer

Also, empathize with your audience. Learning can be hard work.

Please encourage them to continue learning and to recognize that you are learning, too, about teaching.

---

Bringing it all together

In the book The Sense of Style, author Steven Pinker says, “The curse of knowledge is the best explanation. It is the single best reason why good people write bad prose.”

When you are writing a how-to article or a list with steps, you may skip instructions. You can also omit actions that seem obvious.

Remember: to write better, assume nothing.

You don’t have to alter your writing too much.

But it does mean you must write more carefully about what you know. Use concrete examples and stories to explain abstract ideas.

The first and most important part of writing is knowing that the curse of knowledge happens to all of us.

After reading this blog post, you’ll start to notice it more in your professional and personal life.

You won’t manage to escape the curse of knowledge. At least you can be aware of it. You can learn how to avoid it as much as possible.

---

Join my email newsletter for a free eBook and more helpful insights.