Taking on the curse of knowledge

The curse of knowledge is a common challenge that faces all of us. This quick overview explains what it is and how we can be mindful in creating content that people can understand the first time around!

Have any of these things ever happened to you...

• You felt overwhelmed by a bunch of acronyms

• You got confused about steps in a process

• You though you explained something clearly but maybe didn't

Yes? Then you have likely experienced the curse of knowledge!

The basics

The curse of knowledge is a type of cognitive bias – basically, a mental shortcut our brains make when trying to make sense of information. The curse of knowledge happens when we assume that our audience knows the exact same stuff that we do. Chip Heath and Dan Heath, authors of the book Made to Stick, describe it this way:

“Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can’t readily re-create our listeners’ state of mind.”

What you can do

Take time to understand how familiar your audience is with your topic

Don't assume everything that is familiar to you is familiar to others. Not sure? Start with the big picture and you can always go deeper if needed.

Along the same lines, recognize that you might have new things to learn about the topic from your audience, too.

Make new ideas relatable

Help your reader connect new concepts with information they are already familiar with.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were lots of creative but familiar examples used to explain important ideas. One example was describing how far 6 feet is (the length of a ski or two golden retrievers long, for example) or how long we should wash our hands for (the length of the chorus of Dolly Parton’s hit song, Jolene).

Choose your words carefully

Don't flood people with loads of jargon just for the sake of it. Do adequately explain important terms or concepts that readers need to know to avoid confusion or to advocate for themselves down the line.

Reflecting on your work

• Think about a time you started a new job. Was there any vocabulary that was new or confusing? How did you go about learning what you needed to know? What could have made it easier?

• Think about a time that you explained something you know well and later realized it wasn’t as clear as you thought. What did you learn from the situation? How did you change your approach?

Additional resources

• If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda

• Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

• Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath and Karla Starr

Clear Language Lab Cheat Sheets are brief summaries of foundational topics we talk about often at the Clear Language Lab. Questions or errors you want to report? Contact Tiara Whitlock, Program Manager, at tiara@litworks.org.

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