One of the best quotes I’ve heard comes from George Bernard Shaw, who said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” It means that it’s common for us to think that people will interpret what we say and write just as we intend it, and we’re almost always wrong. People interpret what they see, hear, and read through their own filters – past experiences, bias, language, etc. In addition, experts and leaders are often plagued by the fact that once you know something well, it’s increasingly difficult to remember what it was like back when you didn’t know it so well.

So, communicating something that you know well to someone who doesn’t know it well, or at all, takes extra effort, simplification, finesse, and empathy. It’s about overcoming the background of obviousness.