Page 53 - engage workbook

6 bias

The Curse of Knowledge

The Curse of Knowledge occurs when a person
blah, blah... ? ? ? unknowingly assumes that the others have the background
Blah, blah,
to understand. Your knowledge literally curses your
chances of successful communication.

For an example, think no further than someone giving
directions and referencing a picture in their head,
describing turns, landmarks and other information
that the receiver simply cannot relate to.

This curse can make it very difficult for highly knowledgeable people, such as technically
competent consultants / salespeople, to engage with those who have a lesser understanding.
While you may feel you are sharing your wisdom, by not explaining things in simple terms,
others may feel lost, confused, and in the worst cases bored.

The moral is that people are paying less attention to you than
you believe.
Richard H. Thaler, Nobel Prize Laureate, 2017
Author of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

What you can do

• Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What level of understanding do they have of
the area you are covering?

• Try not to rush your conversations. Take your time – start off with simple messages,
and look out for signs that they may not be following.

• Avoid jargon and use stories to illustrate your messages
(see section 14 – Presenting Ideas).

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