The Curse of Expertise: Moving forward with sticky SMEs

The Tool: The Curse of Expertise, combined with your own storytelling skills

The Purpose 

As learning designers who work with technical experts, we sometimes encounter resistance from those experts. Our SMEs have a tendency to assume that, if they were able to learn the content, they are automatically the most qualified person to deliver that content. 

There are a few problems with that assumption, but the one I want to tackle here is an idea I first learned when reading the book “Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To” by Sian Beilock.

Much of Beilocks’ work centers on solving performance issues for high-level athletes - ways to overcome the “choke” when performing in high-pressure situations. But what I found interesting as a learning designer was the following: 

“The curse of expertise trips up experts when they try to predict others performance.”

Beilock goes on to ask the reader to think about a skill they likely know how to do, such as riding a bike. Most people would just say “well, get on the bike and pedal” but it is so much more than that. You need to balance, look in front of you, steer, and pedal.

The same way throwing someone into the deep end of the pool is not the most effective way to teach them to swim, the time your learners lose drowning in information overload is costly to your organization. 

Use Case

Explaining the Curse of Expertise is one way to connect with your SMEs who may express skepticism about the necessity of working with a learning designer. 

Instructions

Discussing the Curse of Expertise does not have to be a formal presentation with an entire body of work behind it.

It can be as simple as a conversation such as this one: 

Learning Designer: Before we kick off this meeting, I want to acknowledge that some of my questions might seem a little over the top or unnecessary. I know you have a deep set of knowledge in [domain], so before we dive into our roles on this project, I want to mention something I learned about recently, called the “Curse of Expertise” 

SME: What’s that?

Learning Designer: It’s the idea that the more proficient someone is at something, the less ability they have to explain it, step by step. For example, I learned to ski when I was very young. I can proficiently make it down most runs on our local mountain. But when it came time to teach my partner to ski, it was an absolute disaster. I couldn’t explain the mechanics of it until he asked me to break it down for him, step by step. Sometimes I found his questions really frustrating - I couldn’t explain to him why I knew to engage my core, I just did it. Have you ever had anything similar happen to you? 

At this point, your SME might “get it” or continue to express frustration. If it’s the latter, there is also this explanation: 

Learning Designer: If you wanted to learn to play piano, when you immediately buy the hardest sheet music you could find, or would you start with an introductory book? 

SME: An intro book

Learning Designer: Exactly, because the intro book probably has all the notes listed out one at a time. I’m here to help you organize all you knowledge on [topic] and break it down for someone who is just starting out in/with [role/learning objective].  

Pros 

Explaining the Curse of Expertise in a way that is personalized to you and the organization you work with is one way to develop credibility with your SMEs and Stakeholders. You are asking them to look beyond their own assumptions and put themselves into the mindset of the learners, which will ultimately help you create a more comprehensive learning product. 

Cons

If you have a good relationship with your SMEs, it might not be necessary to explain the Curse of Expertise - if you are setting up clear meeting goals and asking for targeted feedback, that might be good enough. 

Takeaways

Work on your own story about The Curse of Expertise - What is something you learned (usually very young), that you later, must to your frustration, struggled to teach others? Maybe this experience was teaching your kid to ride a bike, or your significant other to speak a language you have learned since childhood. Practice your story to keep it brief, but impactful. 

When working with a sticky SME, add “The Curse of Expertise” and an accompanying personal story as a tool in your toolbox.

What is your story of the Curse of Expertise?