Why Smart People Sound Confusing
In 1990, Stanford PhD student Elizabeth Newton ran a simple experiment. Tappers tapped out the rhythm of well-known songs like “Happy Birthday”, while listeners tried to guess the tune.
Tappers predicted listeners would guess right 50% of the time.
In reality? Only 2.5% did.
Why the gap? The tune was clear in the tappers’ heads, but all the listeners heard was tapping. Newton called this the Curse of Knowledge — when we forget what it’s like not to know something.
Curse of Knowledge Bias
It’s a cognitive bias that affects us all. Once we understand something deeply, we forget what it’s like not to know it. And then, without meaning to, we skip steps, use jargon, and assume others are on the same page — even when they’re not.
Picture this:
“Just click the API tab and fetch the response using the dev console.”
“Where’s the API tab?”
“Let’s increase the white space and reduce cognitive load on that screen.”
“So… make it less cluttered?”
This kind of back-and-forth happens all the time in workplaces. One person is the expert, talking in shortcuts. The other is just trying to keep up, unsure whether to nod or ask for a translation.
It’s not bad communication. It’s just the Curse of Knowledge in action.
Imagine a finance leader presenting a report and saying: “Our EBITDA is improving, but our burn rate is still high, especially when we consider capex.”
For someone outside of finance, that might as well be another language. But for the expert, it’s obvious. The meaning is compressed. But compression can cost clarity — especially when the audience isn’t made of fellow experts.
That’s how this curse shows up at work: new employees feel lost, cross-functional teams miscommunicate, and feedback becomes vague and hard to act on.
So how do we overcome this invisible gap?
Start with empathy: Ask, “What would I need to know if I were new to this?”
Use everyday language: If a ten-year-old wouldn’t get it, simplify it.
Give examples: Stories and analogies help people connect abstract ideas to real-world understanding.
Check in often: Ask, “Does that make sense?” or “Want me to slow down a bit?”
Because here’s the thing: knowledge is only powerful when it’s shared, not just spoken. As Einstein said:
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”