Respect for expertise

“She’s the head of NASA, but maybe she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

The movie 'Don't Look Up' follows the efforts of three scientists warning everyone of an asteroid en route to destroy the planet. It's got some famous names in the cast and more than a few laughs. More importantly it's packed with examples of how we respond to a technical expert telling us something we don't want to hear.

Listening to a technical expert can be uncomfortable because:

• We need to pay full attention to what they are talking about.

• The expert may struggle to translate their technical language into words I understand and messages I follow.

• I might not like what the expert is telling me, or how they are delivering the message.

"You're just telling a story. Keep it simple. No math" is one great quote from the movie.

“The handsome astronomer can come back anytime. But the yelling lady, not so much.” is another.

It’s only natural that we accept things that make us feel good, and push back on things that don’t. Our education and upbringing often teach us to link self-esteem to intelligence. But this is fragile system and one that sees us back away from learning. All it takes is one smarter person to make us feel inferior, so we become intimidated by experts.

When I'm meeting a new expert, I’ll hit Google, familiarise myself with their field, triple my caffeine intake for the day and commit myself to concentrating on every word. I'll also pack a learning mindset and remind myself to recognise that this person is an expert for a reason - it's not that I'm stupid, I'm just unfamiliar with the topic.

Every interaction with an expert is an opportunity to learn. And a reason to look up.