How to Break the Curse of Knowledge and Make Your Ideas Land
A balanced guide to turning deep expertise into clear, compelling communication
The hardest part of explaining complex ideas isn’t a lack of knowledge—it’s having too much of it. When you’re deep in your field, you forget what it’s like not to know. That’s the curse of knowledge. And it’s what stops your ideas from landing.
We often assume others have the same mental map. So we explain everything we know. We add more detail, more context, more background. We continue to discuss, hoping that clarity will eventually emerge. But it doesn’t.
I once witnessed this happen to a brilliant enterprise architect. She had done incredible work—migrating legacy systems into a unified data platform. Her work had a broad impact. But she was on the first floor. The executives were on the tenth. They never met.
Then came her big moment: a 5-minute product showcase in the main auditorium, with VPs and directors in the room.
Her slide was packed—architecture diagrams, schema structures, bullet points. Everything was accurate. But nothing connected. She was explaining the work, not the meaning. From my seat, I watched the moment slip away.
No one leaned in. No one followed up. Not because the work lacked value, but because the message never progressed from detail to insight.
I’ve made the same mistake, especially in my early years as an engineer. I believed clarity came from depth. It doesn’t. It comes from relevance.
So, how do you break the curse?
Here’s what’s helped me—and many engineers I coach:
❶ Start with the TLDR
Before you speak or write, ask: What’s the one idea I want them to remember? Say that first. Not the history, not the architecture, not the method. Start with the point.
Example:
“We reduced monthly compute costs by 30%—and improved query speed.”
Once that lands, then tell them how. Now they’re listening.
❷ Use analogies
A good analogy is a shortcut to understanding. It connects something they already know to something you need them to know.
Recently, I had to explain event-driven architecture to a marketing leader. My first draft was accurate, but it was filled with message queues, triggers, and asynchronous workflows. It didn’t land.
So I stepped back and asked, 'What’s something familiar that behaves like this?'
I used this:
“Imagine a restaurant kitchen. Orders come in, and each station—grill, salad, dessert—prepares its part independently. Nobody waits for someone else to finish. They just do their piece and notify when ready. That’s how event-driven systems work—modular, responsive, and efficient.”
Her eyes lit up. She got it. Not because I simplified the system, but because I translated it into her world.
❸ Adapt to your audience
Don’t speak the same way to a CFO, a PM, and a backend engineer. Their mental models are different.
You don’t need a different truth. You need a variety of entry points.
Use your audience’s language. Talk in outcomes, not just architecture. Swap jargon for plain words. And always ask: What do they care about?
❹ Let AI help you flip the lens
AI can be a powerful partner—if you use it effectively. But don’t ask it to explain things to you. Ask it to help you explain to them.
Try prompts like:
“Explain [technical concept] using an analogy a [job role] would relate to.”
“Write this explanation in one sentence, assuming no background knowledge.”
“What’s a visual metaphor I could use to make this more intuitive for a non-technical audience?”
You’re not handing over your voice. You’re sharpening it through feedback.
Final thought
The curse of knowledge is real, but it’s not permanent. With empathy, clarity, and the courage to simplify, you can make your ideas land every time.
It’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about building bridges from your world to theirs.
And when you do that, your work doesn’t just get seen—it gets understood.