Your post brought up a point I hadn’t yet considered – a learner’s capacity to ingest and digest the content presented. I am somewhat familiar with the idea and have read literature on learner engagement. It’s a bit of a buzzword in the academic world. I also have a passing familiarity with gamification, in which intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation plays a role in the learning process. However, one’s readiness to learn is not something I considered until today.

Regarding being called out for using “emotional hook” to make professional terminology more accessible, I cannot claim a better term or offer a real solution. However, I wonder if perhaps part of the problem lies in attempting to translate jargon? For example, the library field also has its own vernacular, and not every term perfectly translates to our user base. Sometimes, the best we can do is approximate, which can lead to confusion or, as in this case, criticism for imprecise language. So, perhaps, instances like this may be less about finding new wording and possibly about reclaiming terminology that has been trivialized, as you so aptly phrased it?