The Curse of Knowledge

Are You Speaking a Language Parents Understand?

📅 March 26, 2025 | Read Time: 4 mins

Welcome back, tuition centre owners! 🎓

This week’s bulletin covers:
✅ Why your expertise might be confusing parents
✅ How to simplify your messaging to boost enrolments
✅ The simple communication shift that builds trust and confidence

Are You Too Close to Your Own Expertise?

A while back, I had a chat with a parent interested in tuition for their child. As an expert in education, I did what felt natural—I explained our structured approach, our use of diagnostic assessments, and how we incorporate evidence-based teaching techniques.

I thought I’d nailed it.

But then, I noticed something. They nodded, smiled politely… but their eyes glazed over.

A week later, they enrolled their child somewhere else.

That’s when I realised: it’s not enough to be an expert—you have to communicate like one, too.

Parents Don’t Think Like Educators—And That’s a Problem

As tuition centre owners, we’re used to thinking in terms of curriculum design, retrieval practice, and progress tracking. But parents don’t see things that way.

They don’t necessarily care about how you teach—what they really want to know is:
✔ Will this help my child get better grades?
✔ Will my child feel more confident in the classroom?
✔ Will learning feel easier and less stressful?

If we overload parents with technical details, we risk making them feel overwhelmed—leading them to choose a competitor with a clearer, simpler message.

How to Make Sure Parents Actually “Get It”

If you want to attract more students, you need to change how you communicate. Here’s how:

1️⃣ Ditch the Jargon—Speak Like a Parent

Parents don’t use terms like “scaffolding techniques” or “mastery-based learning.” They just want to know their child will get the support they need.

Instead of this:
🚫 “We use a mastery approach to ensure deep conceptual understanding.”
Try this:
✅ “We help students fully understand topics so they don’t fall behind.”

Instead of this:
🚫 “Our tutors use diagnostic assessments to identify gaps in knowledge.”
Try this:
✅ “We quickly find out where your child is struggling so we can fix the problem fast.”

2️⃣ Focus on Outcomes, Not Processes

Many tuition centres make the mistake of explaining how they teach rather than what difference it makes.

For example:
🚫 “We use retrieval practice to enhance long-term memory retention.”
✅ “We make sure your child remembers what they learn—so they don’t struggle in exams.”

3️⃣ Test Your Messaging on a 12-Year-Old

If a child can’t understand your messaging, their parents probably won’t either. Show your website or social media post to a 12-year-old and ask them to explain it back to you. If they can’t, simplify it.

4️⃣ Walk Through Your Own Sign-Up Process

Be your own customer. Visit your website as if you were a parent looking for tuition. Is the process simple? Does the language make sense? Or does it assume too much prior knowledge?

If it’s confusing or overwhelming, parents will click away—so fix it before they do.

The Bottom Line: Make It Easy for Parents to Say YES

The best tuition centres aren’t just great at teaching—they’re great at making parents understand why they should enrol their child.

So here’s your challenge: simplify your messaging.
📝 Remove the jargon.
💬 Speak in plain English.
🎯 Focus on what really matters to parents.

Because if parents don’t understand what you’re offering, they won’t sign up. And if they don’t sign up, you can’t help their child succeed.

🚀 Want help refining your tuition centre’s messaging? Let’s chat!

This version keeps the engaging style but ensures every point directly applies to tuition centres. Let me know if you’d like any tweaks! 😊