This post was written by Aaron Campbell.
Conduct this quick experiment - think of a song that those close by would know and have them guess what it is while you tap it out (no singing, no humming, just tapping it.) Did they guess it? Now try switching roles with them tapping and you guessing…
What you most likely experienced while tapping was the “curse of knowledge”. The frustration of knowing something that is obvious to you (the song you were tapping) while the person you were trying to communicate it to had no idea of the actual tune. Taking the “listener” turn can give new insight into how un-obvious that role really is.
I just finished “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath, where they seek to help undo the curse of knowledge by giving basic counsel to help get ideas across. Most of their advice is in the range of what could be termed “uncommon-common sense” - it isn’t difficult to understand or see the value of, but that doesn’t mean we regularly put it into practice.
The illustrations skew toward a business and academic audience but the principles can be useful for any setting/relationship. Though not a book I expect to be on everyone’s short list, it’s interesting and engaging enough to make it worthwhile for those that are interested.
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