|
 I spent many years teaching writing to people with PhDs in economics. These brilliant folks had written massive and meticulous dissertations that only they and a handful of other PhDs could understand. They struggled to communicate their ideas with novices.
As an ignoramus in economics, I was their perfect test subject.
“I read what you wrote, but I don’t understand it,” I would say. “What are FICA and FICO? Why do I even care?”
That’s the “curse of expertise.” How can a brilliant economist communicate with a guy who struggles with PayPal?
How do I overcome the curse of expertise?
My PhD writers used the following strategies to overcome the curse of expertise:
1. Talk with novices.
Before you write for an audience that knows little about your topic, talk with them—face to face if possible.
Conversation requires you to get the person’s attention and keep it—two things you must also do in writing. When the person is sitting in front of you, you’ll be able to monitor in real time when the person “gets it” and when the person “checks out.”
Here’s a sample conversation between a grammar expert (me) and a novice.
Me: Hey, Tom, I’ve got to write this thing that explains infinitives to a general audience, and I wondered if I could talk through my ideas with you.
Tom: All right. Shoot.
Me: Okay, well, an infinitive is a kind of verbal formed from to and a present-tense verb.
Tom: Is this like a grammar thing?
Me: Yeah. I should have started with that.
Tom: Okay, so who needs to know about infinites?
Me: Infinitives, actually. And you just used one. You said, “Who needs to know about infinitives?” The phrase “to know about infinitives” is an infinitive phrase.
Tom: Cool. So I say them. Why do I need to know what they are called?
Me: Well, learning about different grammatical structures will help you speak and write with more precision and clarity.
Tom: Writing and speaking aren’t my job.
Me: No, but they can help you with your job. Writing is how you get a job, after all, with a résumé and cover letter. And on the job, speaking and writing help you get your ideas across, making you more successful.
Tom: All right, lead with that. Show how I can get something out of infinites, and I’ll be willing to learn what they are.
Me: You just used another one: “to learn what they are.”
Tom: Huh! I guess I’m becoming an infinite genius!
This conversation shows two different worlds trying to build bridges. The expert (me) started with the assumption that grammar is important, but Tom quickly pointed out that most people don’t share that assumption.
2. Show why the reader should care.
Experts have embraced a subject for so long, they can’t remember not caring about it. The plain truth is that nonexperts don’t care about your subject. To get their attention long enough to communicate, you need to show why they should care.
Enter the mindset of a nonexpert. How will this information help the person? What tangible benefits are you offering? Lead with those:
To boldly go . . . that’s the clarion call of Captain Kirk—a call he made using an infinitive. You, too, can call readers to boldly go—once you master the infinitive.
3. Give context.
Experts know where something fits within a larger context, but novices don’t. Show where your concept connects with things that readers already know.
You know that verbs express action: run, vault, ski, hang-glide! You can harness some of that power by adding the word to before your favorite verb: to run, to vault, to ski, to hang-glide!
4. Avoid technical terms, and define necessary terms.
Every field of expertise mantles itself in awesome jargon. These specialized words provide precise shorthand for those in the know, but they exclude nonexperts. Don’t overload novice readers with jargon:
Like gerunds and participles, infinitives are verbals that function as other parts of speech.
Instead, avoid technical jargon when possible. When you must use a specialized term, define it:
To go is an infinitive, and to boldly go where no one has gone before is an infinitive phrase. An infinitive phrase includes to plus a verb (go), and any objects and modifiers (boldly, where no one has gone before).
5. Give explanations.
No one wants to explain the obvious, but what is obvious to an expert is not to a novice. Spell out your ideas in simple, approachable language.
Let’s think of the verb act. It means “do something.” This verb has a noun form (action), an adjective form (active), and an adverb form (actively). It also has an infinitive form (to act). The infinitive can function as a noun (To act requires courage). It can also function as an adjective (He lacked the courage to actto act
6. Use metaphors and anecdotes.
Metaphors compare something unknown with something known. They make the unfamiliar familiar.
You’ve probably heard of prepositional phrases like under the table, or in the air. The phrase starts with a preposition and includes a noun. An infinitive phrase is similar. It starts with to and includes a verb.
An anecdote is a little story that demonstrates an idea. Stories help us make sense of our world. They are the most primal form of verbal communication, so use the power of stories to make your point.
When my brother and I visited Yellowstone, we had to decide what we wanted to do. “Do you want to see the geysers, or do you want to go for a hike?” He was suggesting two actions using two infinitives: to see the geysers and to go for a hike. These were things we could do, but they were still things—or nouns. Infinitive phrases turn verbs into nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
7. Create sidebars.
In journalism, a sidebar is a short, focused feature that provides additional information about a major story. You can use a sidebar to define terms, give context, or explain a key concept. Those who already know the terms or context won’t need to read the sidebar, but novices can refer to it for the information they lack.
By pairing a sidebar with a main article, you can write to multiple levels of expertise.
noun: word for a person, a place, a thing, or an idea
adjective: word that modifies or describes a noun
adverb: word that modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
infinitive: phrase formed from to and a present-tense verb, with any objects and modifiers; functioning as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb
Why are nonexperts so clueless?
Remember that even if you are an expert in something, you’re pretty much a nonexpert in everything else.
Also, recognize that the hardest thing to do is the thing you don’t know how to do. In other words, the hardest thing is to learn. Be patient. At one point you were a novice, too, and someone built bridges to help you cross into expertise. You can do the same for others.
By the way, the last paragraph had no fewer than four infinitives!
|
