I can’t say I was born very smart.
I was not a special kid with good grades and all that.
I didn’t read books, or cared to learn anything about anything.
As a teenager, I would disappoint my teachers constantly.
They made me feel like I was some hopeless idiot. And at one point, my principal even urged me NOT to apply for the science program that I wanted to go to because he didn't believe I would make it.
But a few years back, a book was recommended to me by a copywriter.
It was called "The Art of Explanation" by Lee LeFever.
And—as the title suggests—it was a book about how to explain stuff like a real pro.
While I was going over it, stroking my chin, I got hit by a sudden insight:
I discovered that literally anything could be taught in a simpler, smoother, and more interesting way…
… which made me realize that so often as a youngster, I was halted from learning – not because I was dumb – but because I had a piss-poor excuse for a teacher.
Understanding this blew my mind.
I wasn't just a bad student.
Growing up, I didn't have a single teacher that inspired me.
No one ever showed me why I should learn these things.
No one ever showed me what was so interesting about these topics.
No one ever presented things to me in a simple, clear and interesting way…
It’s not my fault I sucked at school. It’s theirs.
The only reason I wanted to study science was because of people like Vsauce and Neil deGrasse Tyson. People who could take on a complex subject, break it down and make it fascinating to a general audience.
These cats put me onto a whole new way of seeing the world—which made me thirsty to learn everything I possibly could (and I did go onto study science & mathematics btw, so my old principal can kiss my ass.)
But today, I would like to show you one concept from that book.
It's something we could all use as a refresher from time to time.
It's this concept that – the more you learn about something – the less you're able to guess how much other people know about it…
In other words — What's obvious to you, might not be obvious to others.
And this is what's known as "The Curse of Knowledge"...
The Curse of Knowledge
When being smart becomes problematic…
Stanford made a study about it:
In the study, one person drummed the melodies of classic songs, songs that everyone knows, like "happy birthday to you" and so on.
And next to them was another person who had to guess which song was being drummed.
(Basically: imagine the melody of a song, but the melody is being played out as one monotone drum sound.)
After this experiment, it turned out:
Only about 3% of the 120 songs were guessed correctly.
And the person tapping the songs was shocked to find out about this.
To them, the melody was so damn obvious that — how could you NOT hear it?!
I mean, imagine: you're there, bobbing along to the song in your head, and you can’t even fathom how other people don't hear it.
(Hear what you hear, see what you see, know what you know...)
… What's stupidly obvious in your head isn't necessarily obvious to other people.
Hold up.
In the beginning of this post, did I use the term "copywriter"?
Let's see… Yep. There it is.
Well, maybe I shouldn't have. Because, a couple times in my life (in conversation) I've blurted out "copywriter", while explaining something, and the other person was like "wha??", looking at me perplexed. No, seriously, confused as hell. Genuinely dumbfounded – thinking I'm talking about copyRight… (which is something else)…
And I look back at them, equally confused.
"No, no, no. Not copy-Righting…Copy... Writing" -.-'
To me – the term "copywriter" is so basic that it's like asking me what a screenwriter or a horserider is. I can't understand how someone goes through life without knowing what it means.
But alas, that's the curse of knowledge for ya.
Copywriting is indeed an industry-specific term, so the joke's on me here.
Perhaps I should've known better, and just said:
"someone who writes advertising and sales material"…
Point is:
Guessing just how much someone knows is really tough.
That’s why you must, as a rule, simplify everything you say a little bit further than you're comfortable with (unless you're absolutely certain you're speaking with a fellow nerd).
And don't worry: as long as you make it interesting, even a seasoned pro won’t mind re-hearing a basic truth (only a pretentious ass would get offended or annoyed by that).
Oh, and don't think for a second other people will ask you a question when they don't understand something you said or wrote. That couldn't be further from the truth (unless you have students desperate to pass the upcoming test)… That kind of curiosity is rare.
So it's crucial you communicate like a pro from the very start because most chums will deceive you by saying shit like: "Yeah. I understand what you mean." (without really understanding what you mean).
Fact is: most people are happy not fully understanding you. They don't care. It's not their job to care. But if you truly care — it's your job to make a damn good job presenting what you have to say. Blow their got damn minds and shatter their worlds. But make it easy to grasp, will ya, and interesting to consume. And please, for the love of god, don't expect other people to just "get you", or expect them to ask when they don't understand.
Now.
One CRUCIAL thing I CANNOT forget to mention here, is that:
It takes a strong shot of empathy to get this.
A strong shot, my friend.
Wait – empathy’s one of those fuzzy words – isn’t it? Let’s define it: Empathy is seeing something from another’s point of view.
And I'm sorry to break it to you, bud.
But not everyone's as smart as you are.
You're in a minority. So you should really watch yourself.
You can't just throw around those big hunky words like it's nothing.
You might end up alienating, or confusing whoever you're talking to, and make them feel dumb and even discouraged to learn more… (rather than making them sit in awe of your brilliance).
It’s true. So have some freakin’ respect for your fellow, lesser-knowledgeable friends when they ask you about your nerdy interests.
Be the person who introduces them to a new way of seeing the world.
Just like how Carl Sagan aroused a whole nation’s interest in science through his TV-show Cosmos. You can do the same. But with whatever you happen to be passionate about, be it music, dentistry or dinosaurs.
By the way. You ever heard that Einstein quote?
If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it well enough.
Well that's true IF (and that's a big if),
IF you also happen to be a skilled, empathetic communicator.
Truth is: you can be knowledgeable about something, but be a terrible teacher at it. That was practically every teacher I had growing up.
And between you and me: I see this on Substack too sometimes.
Writers who make their posts all complicated and dense – crammed into the margins with big, 2-dollar words.
Man, they're just so smart! that we can barely understand them! Just so smart! wowee!
Such a shame though...
I came in excited to read about an interesting topic, but instead got stuck with a lame crossword puzzle.
Seriously. Sometimes I genuinely have little idea what they're even talking about. One big word after the next.
Sorry, but I don't see the virtue in that.
Stringing big, complicated words together in long, never-ending sentences?
Well La-Di-Da.
I have to spend my precious time now just to decipher what you're saying?
Hell naw.
Unless I have a damn good reason, it ain't happening.
And don't tell me oh, it has to be that way.
Even the book I'm reading in psychology class never gets unnecessarily complex or clunky. It's smooth and engaging (despite the necessary jargon use).
So my ass remains stuck here. On the sweaty writer's bench next to Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway;
If it can be penned simpler, pen it simpler.
Now, if this complicated, clumsy writing is due to a sheer ignorance on their part, it's forgiven. I’m sorry.
… But if it's because of a lack of empathy for their reader?
Nah. F#$@! that.
… But let's say it's the former (ignorance).
I mean – maybe they just missed writing class, or something.
If that's the case, let's get them up to speed.
… Lemme crumple up my cheatsheet. One second.
... Here we are. So:
The way to be a great writer is to be simple. Remove all obstacles standing in the way of the average reader getting in and out as smoothly as possible. Be like a hawk scouting for snakes in the grass. Yank out every pesky, slithering little bastard to clear the path for the reader to slide through it like a greased up walk in the park. Aim for clarity when you write.
… Or something like that (couldn’t really tell, my handwriting sucks).
Anyway. Damn academics always thinking complicated is smart. A damn shame they never had to read a humbling book like "The Art of Explanation" or something before they started publishing their papers for the poor public to puzzle through.
Truly smart people know that clean and simple is the way to go.
But hey, don't just take my word for it.
Let's unlock and slide open the filing cabinet and search out the Wicked Smart category of men in history and see what they had to say about this…
Ooh!
Found a goodie:
Simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.
None other than my boy da Vinci said that! (smartest guy of all time).
Or if you'd prefer — let's take that bloke who wrote the Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn books:
Use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.
Mark Twain
Or let's take this one – from the drunk bastard himself:
An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way.
An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.
Charles Bukowski
I dig that.
… Oh, and wasn’t it Nietzche who said something like:
Most books could be reduced to one single paragraph without losing anything of value.
That's funny…
Hey look.
Even that cryptic therapist who wrote such brain-boggling volumes about psychology admits:
Everything could be said much more simply, but this simplicity is just what we ourselves and others lack, with the result that it is more trouble for us to speak really simply than to speak in a rather complicated and roundabout way.
Carl Jung
Achieving a snappy simplicity is the true art of writing if you ask me.
To distill language… to its most potent form.
To condense the truth… without sacrifice.
To shave off, to sculpt, to strip away the layers, one by one… and end up with a pure, naked, raw essence.
That's elegance.
That's poetry.
Okay.
Enough talking.
Let's kiss.
… Kiss.
… as in Keep It Simple Stupid!
K.I.S.S.
You see?
What. You thought I meant a real kiss?!
That would be highly inappropriate.
Anyway, I, I really must be leaving now…
But uhh, give this some more thought will ya? with that big brain of yours. Hehe. And uhhh, yeah, ahem… don't just assume I'll know what you're talking about all the time… you know uhm. I mean uhh, dumb it down for me next time. OK?
OK cool.
Ehh, gotta go now.
So uh, see you later.
Bye.
If you want more sassy insights about authenticity, art and advertising, you should definitely subscribe:
ps. let me know if you want more practical advice on how to write like a badass like me.
That’s some true logic
Hey, Vsauce! 😎
Verrrry relatable stuff, man. I did terribly in school.
I realized much later it was because I just didn't have a reason to care.
Turns out that's super important to me.