Curse of Knowledge

The difficulty of imagining what it's like not to know something once you already know it, making communication with novices harder.

Once knowledge is embedded, it becomes 'obvious' to us. We forget the learning process and fail to recognize that others don't share our understanding.

• An expert giving a jargon-filled presentation that confuses the audience.
• A teacher frustrated that students don't grasp a concept that seems simple.
• A developer writing documentation that only other developers can understand.

• When explaining, imagine you're hearing this information for the first time.
• Use analogies and simple language, even for complex topics.
• Test your explanations on someone unfamiliar with the subject.
• Ask your audience questions to check their understanding.