Core Concept Definition
Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. This makes it difficult to communicate effectively with others who don’t share our knowledge.
Fundamental Problem
-
Knowledge Barrier
- Inability to un-know
- Expert blindness
- Assumption of knowledge
- Communication gap
-
Impact Areas
- Teaching
- Communication
- Product design
- Leadership
- Technical writing
- Customer service
Key Research Evidence
The Tappers and Listeners Study
-
Experiment Setup
- Tappers given known songs
- Listeners try to identify
- Success rate predicted
- Actual results measured
-
Results
- Tappers predicted 50% success
- Actual success rate 2.5%
- Massive prediction gap
- Systematic overestimation
Other Supporting Studies
-
Cell Phone Usage Study
- Expert time predictions
- Novice actual performance
- Significant gap
- Systematic bias
-
Product Design Research
- Designer assumptions
- User reality
- Understanding gap
- Usage difficulties
Manifestations
In Teaching
-
Expert Blind Spots
- Skipping steps
- Assuming knowledge
- Missing foundations
- Complexity blindness
-
Student Impact
- Understanding gaps
- Learning frustration
- Motivation loss
- Achievement barriers
In Business
-
Product Development
- Feature complexity
- User confusion
- Interface problems
- Documentation issues
-
Communication
- Jargon use
- Assumption making
- Message complexity
- Understanding gaps
In Leadership
-
Strategy Communication
- Vision complexity
- Direction confusion
- Goal misalignment
- Implementation problems
-
Change Management
- Process assumptions
- Resistance creation
- Understanding gaps
- Implementation barriers
Overcoming the Curse
Core Strategies
-
Concrete Examples
- Tangible illustrations
- Real-world cases
- Specific instances
- Clear demonstrations
-
Simple Language
- Clear communication
- Basic terminology
- Direct expression
- Understanding focus
-
Stories
- Narrative examples
- Experience sharing
- Situation illustration
- Understanding building
Implementation Methods
-
Knowledge Check
- Understanding verification
- Assumption testing
- Knowledge confirmation
- Gap identification
-
Feedback Systems
- User testing
- Student response
- Customer feedback
- Understanding measurement
Prevention Techniques
Communication Design
-
Audience Analysis
- Knowledge assessment
- Need identification
- Understanding level
- Experience evaluation
-
Message Testing
- Understanding verification
- Clarity checking
- Effectiveness measurement
- Impact evaluation
Structure Development
-
Foundation Building
- Basic concepts
- Progressive complexity
- Understanding verification
- Knowledge building
-
Connection Creation
- Relevant examples
- Personal connection
- Experience linking
- Understanding development
Impact Assessment
Measurement Areas
-
Understanding Level
- Knowledge transfer
- Concept grasp
- Application ability
- Skill development
-
Communication Effectiveness
- Message clarity
- Information transfer
- Understanding creation
- Action generation
Success Indicators
-
Performance Metrics
- Task completion
- Goal achievement
- Problem resolution
- Skill demonstration
-
Feedback Analysis
- User response
- Understanding level
- Application success
- Result achievement
Related Concepts
- Simple - Complexity reduction
- Concrete - Understanding creation
- Communication Framework
- Teaching Methods
Questions for Practice
- What assumptions are you making?
- How can you verify understanding?
- What foundations are needed?
- How can you simplify?
- What examples will help?
References
- Introduction of Made to Stick - Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die