Helping experts share their know-how & novices to discover it
At the end of the last post – the first in a series of three – I asked how we can help experts make themselves understood?
So they beat the Curse of Knowledge and make helpful videos, podcasts, microblogs etc.
The Curse of Knowledge is a cognitive phenomenon. We can’t change the way the brain works, but we can take action to overcome its impact.
To do this, experts need to do three things:
How do you know what to say?
You don’t want to patronise people. And you definitely don’t want to short-change them. You want to be helpful. So it’s an easy mistake to make. I’ve done it myself. Several times.
Teaching practice was scary. I was scared of running out of things to say, or things for learners to do. I went into every session with enough material for a week. The thought of blank, bored faces was terrifying.
Here’s what my tutors said:
‘Your students are confused. Information overload. Again.’
Knowing what to say and what to leave out is tricky.
It’s frustrating isn’t it?
You’re an expert. You want to share what you know. Teach the world what you do.
You spend hours crafting your videos. But have you got it right? Will people watch to the end? Has your time and effort been worth it?
You want this reaction:
‘Wow, now I get it’. ‘Wahay! So helpful’.
Not this reaction:
‘Well, that’s 10 minutes I’ll never get back’.
rebecca@stickyteaching.co.uk
@stickyteaching