Is the Curse of Knowledge Ruining Your Podcast Interview?

You’ve probably heard the phrase knowledge is power. I always say knowledge is power when you act on it. Today I’m going to explain when knowledge is a curse. 

The curse of knowledge is when you and your guest know something. This might be because you’ve known the guest for years, or it may be that you just had a conversation before you pressed record. 

I always tell people to identify their target audience when creating a podcast. When you record I want you to do one of two things. If you are recording a solo show, talk to that listener, and notice I siad listener not listeners. I know on YouTube it seems like everyone starts off with “hey guys” but I recommend talking to ONE person. IT creates a more intimate feel as the listener feels like you are talking to THEM. When you record an episode, picture them sitting across the desk from you and you’re excited to tell them about the topic for this episode. 

When you do an interview, picture yourself sitting at a table with your guest across from you and your listener sitting to the left of you. This is often where the curse of knowledge comes into play. You bring up that time at the weidapit and how much fun it was with Lisa. Your audience doesn’t know what a weidapit is, and who the heck is Lisa?

The other thing I’d like to mention here is so many people think that a podcast is a conversation. To this I say you are missing two letters. It should be conversational. You don’t want an interview to be an interrogation, but you also have to remember there is a third person at the table listening to you and your guest talk. You need to know who that person is and what they are looking for. I have a friend I’ve known for decades and when I get together with him and his wife, we will eventually start talking about guitars. His wife is not a guitar player, and hence is bored out of her gourd. Never forget that someone is listening to you. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a conversation. Just remember that just because it’s a real conversation, it doesn’t mean it’s entertaining. I was married to a nurse and when I went to her holiday parties, all of her co-workers almost spoke in a different language. They used so much jargon. You need to remember there may be new people listening.