As I prepare for my presentation on Social Media & Choral Marketing (tomorrow for the BC Choral Federation) I’ve been struck by a quote from a presentation that Henry Ruddle gave at the Arts Reach Conference last month. Henry is the head of Ruddle Consulting and is full of amazing ideas and insights, but this one really spoke to me.
THE CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE
Crows are smart but I don't think they suffer from the Curse of Knowldege.
(In this example I’ve applied it to my work with Chor Leoni. Swap “Chor Leoni” out in the sentence and
replace it with the name of your own ensemble.)
I no longer know what it’s like to not know what I know about Chor Leoni.
It’s so easy to assume that because we live and breathe our work that our enthusiasm and knowledge are shared by those around us. The danger of course is that we write from that position of assumed knowledge and then wonder why the message hasn’t caused a rush at the box office, or a run of sales on iTunes.
Henry suggested we always run proposed marketing materials for a project by someone who isn’t involved and ask for their feedback. Hopefully that can save us from (dum dum DUM!) The Curse of Knowledge!
