Professional Ignorance

Subject-matter experts (SMEs) base their careers on knowledge of the subject.

But everyone else should base their careers on ignorance of the subject.

Defend your professional ignorance.

Audiences know little about the subject. (Even if they are budding connoisseurs, they might be momentarily more focused on where to get a hot dog — with ketchup on one half, and mustard on one half, and cut into eight pieces, right now — for the finicky five-year-old they have with them at the museum.)

So your professional ignorance of the subject parallels what visitors will feel. The more you can feel that, the more useful you are.

Because the project is for them.

Your job is to help those who know too much communicate with those who know too little.

Sometimes, the team reads up and goes down the rabbit hole. They lose that instinctive sympathy. I'm not saying don't read up. Just not too much, at first.

Here’s the thing:
Your lack of knowledge of the subject is actually an asset to the teams you work with.

Defend your professional ignorance.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
In-kind donation. A non-monetary gift of goods or services given to a museum by a donor or organization. In-kind donations do not involve direct financial exchange. They can be equipment, materials, supplies, consulting time, or volunteer hours.