Dec. 18, 2007 at 1:33pm

Editing away the curse of knowledge

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Declassified, Publications
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Find yourself talking to patients rather than talking with them? The more we study up on theory, research, best practice - the more we risk falling victim to the Curse of Knowledge. The curse, as discussed in the highly readable and helpful book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath, is knowing so much you can’t express yourself simply or effectively on the topic. (For more on the topic, check out the Heaths’ blog posts on the Curse of Knowledge.)

I had a security guard teach me the lesson of the curse. Years ago, I trained 50 people from an industrial plant – from top executives to security guards – on how to conduct a media interview in a crisis. The frontline employees were far more articulate. By articulate I mean simple, clear, heartfelt – and believable. They were free of the Curse of Knowledge, confident their employer had the right safety procedures in place and would do the right thing in a crisis. They didn’t trip over the small stuff.

I think about the powerful, confident language of the security guard often. You see, I love theories, nuance and rationale. That complexity creeps into my writing. The curse has no cure, but it can be treated. Here’s what works for me:

• Give your copy time to ripen, to breathe.
• Imagine talking about your topic with your 14-year-old nephew. Then write the way you would talk.
• After every paragraph, ask yourself, “Would this benefit from ‘in other words’?”
• Be clear about your purpose and what you need the reader to understand, feel or do as a result.
• Take out unnecessary words; add in words to smooth the flow.
• Think about an especially effective communicator and ask yourself, “How would Tracy say it?”
• Have others read what you’ve written and heed their comments.
• Write only as formally as necessary to achieve your purpose.
• Make time to edit.

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