The Curse of Knowledge: The Silent Killer of Clear Communication

‘The Curse of Knowledge’ is one of the biggest obstacles presenters face, and most don’t even realise they’re under its spell.

We see it every week in our workshops. In simple terms, the curse is the assumption that other people know what you know, and it tricks you into believing your audience understands you far better than they actually do.

When that happens, clarity collapses. I’ve been on the receiving end of it twice in the last 24 hours.

Incident 1: The Cable Call

I phoned my cable TV provider to ask a simple question: What package am I on, and how much can I save by removing the sports channel?

The customer service agent was delightful, warm, enthusiastic, and eager to help. Within seconds, she launched into a 20-minute monologue about “incredible offers,” “exclusive bundles,” and “limited‑time discounts.”

She spoke quickly, confidently, and with absolute mastery of her products; none of it had anything to do with my question. Somewhere between the third discount and the fifth bundle, I forgot why I’d called.

She knew her world inside out and assumed I did too, or that I might want to.

I hung up frustrated, confused, and no closer to an answer; that’s the curse at work.

Incident 2: The Web Platform

I recently switched to a new web platform, innovative, exciting, and full of potential.

The team is brilliant and implements changes beautifully, but they also assume I understand the inner workings of those changes. I don’t, and that gap between what they know and what I know creates friction.

They explain things as though I’m fluent in their system, and I’m not and being on the receiving end of those assumptions is exhausting.

That’s the curse again; the expert forgetting what it feels like not to be the expert.

Why the Curse Is So Destructive for Presenters

When you’re presenting, the Curse of Knowledge is more than an inconvenience.
It’s a barrier; one that blocks connection, clarity and influence.

If you assume your audience knows what you know, you skip steps.
You rush, overload your audience, speak in shorthand and leave people behind without realising it, and once you lose them, you rarely get them back.

How to Break the Curse

Once you recognise the curse, you can dismantle it. Here’s how.

1. Use examples — real ones

Examples are the antidote to assumption.

They turn abstract ideas into something people can see, feel and understand.

A story, personal experience or a simple analogy.

Anything that grounds your message in reality.

Never assume that because you understand something, your audience will too.

2. Ask how much they already know

The curse thrives in the absence of curiosity.

Don’t guess, ask our audience directly.

Three questions break the spell instantly:

– How much do you know already

– What do you need to know

– What do you want to know

Those answers will shape your entire approach.

3. Slow down

Speed is the curse’s closest accomplice.

When you know a lot and have little time, you cram your presentation and rush through it. Your audience can’t keep up.

Pace your message, build in pauses, let people breathe and let ideas land.

You’ll feel the difference and so will they.

4. Craft a conversation, not a monologue

The curse thrives in one-way communication.

Break it by creating space for your audience to participate.

– Invite questions.
– Ask for reactions.
– Use props.
– Spark discussion.
– Get them involved.

When people contribute, they connect, and when they connect, they understand.

If the Curse Is Holding You Back.

You don’t have to tackle it alone.

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

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