The Curse of Knowledge & How to Build Better Relationships

The curse of knowledge is forgetting that other people don’t know what you know and can be a huge barrier to building better relationships.  When sharing information, not recognizing that others come from different backgrounds can result in:

• Overly complicated explanations
• Poor communication
• Other people not understanding your key takeaways or wanting to interact with you

Medical Affairs cannot be a strategic partner to internal or external stakeholders without being able to connect with others and have them open up to you. Be aware of the curse of knowledge when communicating with others to improve your relationship-building skills.

Keep reading for hacks on how to avoid the curse of knowledge to build better relationships. 

How to Avoid the Curse of Knowledge

Don’t assume the person you are communicating with knows something. But also don’t assume they don’t know it. You are probably like what? 🙂 

Ask questions to gauge their understanding and background. Check out this article for questions to have in your toolbox. Train yourself to ask these questions in a non-judgmental way. If people feel like you think they are stupid, they will clam up and not want to interact with you. 

Also, consider their background. Who are you communicating with? You can make a good guess about their level of background knowledge by thinking about where they are coming from. Watch this video for more tips on considering things from other’s point of view.  This is a huge under-utilized way to build better relationships. 

Simple Always Wins

When deciding what to present always go with as simple as possible. If you are contemplating keeping something in, get rid of it. I know this is making all you academics out there cringe. But trust me.

If the recipients of your material want more details, they will ask. Let them guide how you present the information to them. This is a great way to build rapport. Here is a pro relationship building tip: If you make the recipients feel smart, they will love you! The point of educating others isn’t to show how much you know. 

Check out this video for more tips on how to keep it simple. 

Conclusion: Avoid the Curse of Knowledge to Build Better Relationships

When building a relationship and communicating with others, remember that people have different backgrounds and levels of understanding than you do. Don’t get trapped by the curse of knowledge and jeopardize the chance to build better relationships. Put yourself in their shoes when trying to communicate with them and let them take the lead. This will help you gain trust and make them want to work with you.

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