Overcoming the Curse of Knowledge: 5 Practical Steps to Clearer Communication
Have you ever read a company’s website and found yourself rereading the same sentence three times—only to still have no idea what they actually do? You’re not alone. Many businesses unintentionally make their messaging too complex, thanks to something called the Curse of Knowledge.
Coined by economists and popularized by Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book Made to Stick, the Curse of Knowledge describes the phenomenon where experts forget what it’s like not to know something. As a result, they communicate in ways that feel natural to them but leave their audience bewildered.
And nowhere is this more prevalent than in marketing.
The Knowledge Gap: Why Your Customers Feel Lost
One of the easiest ways to understand the Curse of Knowledge is to think of familiarity levels on a scale from 1 to 10. If you work at a company, you’re likely at a Level 10 in understanding your product or service. But most of your prospects are at a Level 3 or 4. When you simplify your messaging, you might think you’re making it clear by bringing it down to a Level 7 or 8—but there’s still a significant gap.
And that gap is where you lose potential customers.
If prospects have to burn too much mental energy trying to bridge that 3-5 point gap, they disengage. The real challenge is bringing your messaging down to their level—a Level 4—so they immediately understand the value you provide.
The problem?
It’s very difficult to do from the inside. The longer you’re immersed in your company, the more you become a Level 9 or 10 expert, making it harder to simplify in a way that resonates with outsiders.
The Jargon Jungle: Are You Lost in It?
Many businesses, especially those in specialized fields (looking at you, financial services and B2B tech), unknowingly bury their messaging under layers of jargon. They say things like:
“Our vertically integrated, AI-driven optimization platform leverages best-in-class solutions to enhance omnichannel synergy.” 😵💫🤨
…when their customers just want to hear:
“We help you get better results, faster.”
Why Does This Happen? (Hint: It’s Not Because You’re Bad at Words)
Once we master a subject, it’s hard to remember what it was like before we knew it inside and out. Our brains assume everyone else has the same baseline understanding we do. That’s why engineers, accountants, and even marketers (ironically) sometimes default to language that makes perfect sense to insiders but alienates everyone else.
The Heath brothers illustrate this with a famous 1990 experiment by Stanford researcher Elizabeth Newton. Participants were split into “tappers” and “listeners.” The tappers were asked to tap out the rhythm of a well-known song, like Happy Birthday, while the listeners tried to guess what it was. The tappers predicted listeners would guess correctly 50% of the time. In reality? The listeners got it right just 2.5% of the time.
Why? Because the tappers heard the song in their heads, while the listeners just heard a bunch of random knocks. The same thing happens when businesses communicate with an audience that doesn’t share their knowledge base.
Practical Steps to Clearer Messaging
If you suspect you’re suffering from the Curse of Knowledge, don’t worry—we have the antidote:
- Use the “Mom Test” – Could your mom (or someone outside your industry) understand what you’re saying? If not, simplify it.
- Swap Jargon for Benefits – Instead of explaining how something works, focus on why it matters to your audience.
- Read It Out Loud – If it sounds robotic or clunky, rewrite it.
- Ask a Non-Expert to Review – A fresh pair of eyes will catch complexity you didn’t notice.
- Learn from the Greats – Books like Made to Stick and articles from PlainLanguage.gov offer excellent guidance on making messages clearer.
The Bottom Line
Clear, compelling messaging isn’t about dumbing things down—it’s about making your expertise accessible. If you want to turn jargon-filled walls of text into messages that stick, set up a call. We specialize in translating complexity into clarity, ensuring your audience gets it—the first time.
Want to see if your marketing is suffering from the Curse of Knowledge? Send us your website or latest marketing piece, and we’ll run a quick clarity check.
