Ask what the audience already knows before explaining

Probe prior knowledge explicitly rather than assuming it.

Why it works

The curse of knowledge is partly a failure of audience modeling: experts construct a mental model of the listener that is systematically too rich. Asking directly — "What do you know about X?" — grounds the explanation in actual prior knowledge rather than assumed prior knowledge. It also activates what the audience does know, which reduces cognitive load during the explanation.

How to do it

1. Before any significant explanation, ask one or two diagnostic questions: "What have you heard about this?" or "What’s your starting point?"
2. Listen for both gaps and misconceptions — both require different entry angles.
3. Start your explanation at the last concept they clearly understood, not the first concept they don’t.
4. Check in at transitions: "Does that match what you expected, or is it different?"

Evidence

Formative assessment research (Wiliam, Black) shows that brief prior-knowledge probes dramatically improve teaching effectiveness by letting the instructor calibrate to actual, rather than assumed, learner state. (observational)

Most evidence is from classroom settings with structured assessment; informal prior-knowledge probes in conversation have less direct study but share the same principle.

Sources

• Black & Wiliam (1998), assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in Education
• Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7–74.

Common mistake

Asking "Do you know X?" (which elicits a socially safe yes) instead of "What do you know about X?" (which actually reveals the content of their knowledge).