For writers, we might say, “Think B4 U Rite Right Wright Write.” Teach Me to Write helps writers do just that.
Understand the Curse of Knowledge
It may seem ironic that having a deep knowledge of our subject matter causes us to bump up against the curse of knowledge, a phrase describing a cognitive bias in which message senders—who have a deep knowledge of a subject—deliver garbled miscommunication to message receivers, who do not. The problem is that senders unconsciously and unwittingly communicate on a higher plane than receivers can understand, thus causing communication misfires.
Cure the Curse of Knowledge
In written communication, senders must have a sharp awareness of successful message preparation by thinking through their message and audience before writing, and only then formulating strong content to present and support the point of the message.
To learn more about the curse of knowledge and how to manage it, read linguist Steven Pinker’s discussion on the topic in his book The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.