Ask what the audience already knows before explaining
Probe prior knowledge explicitly rather than assuming it.
Key takeaways
- What it is: 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.
- Evidence: Backed by observational / correlational evidence.
- Avoid: 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).
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
- 1Before any significant explanation, ask one or two diagnostic questions: "What have you heard about this?" or "What’s your starting point?"
- 2Listen for both gaps and misconceptions — both require different entry angles.
- 3Start your explanation at the last concept they clearly understood, not the first concept they don’t.
- 4Check in at transitions: "Does that match what you expected, or is it different?"
What the evidence says
ObservationalFormative 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.
Honest caveat: Most evidence is from classroom settings with structured assessment; informal prior-knowledge probes in conversation have less direct study but share the same principle.
- — Black & Wiliam (1998), assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in Education
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).
IX Coach asks what you already understand before introducing any concept, then calibrates its depth and entry point to where you actually are rather than where it assumes you are.
Practice this with IX Coach →