If someone doesn't understand you, whose fault is it?

I recently helped out at a Plain English seminar at Nungalinya College, the Indigenous Christian training college where our office is located. The presenter, Mally McLellan, pointed out that sometimes we use big words just to sound professional, even if we don't think people will actually understand them. She challenged everyone to consider their aims in communication, and noted that if your audience doesn't understand you, it's probably your fault. Once you're in a situation where something needs communicating, the listener can't do much about what they do or don't understand, but you can alter the way you communicate. So I guess I need to stop and reassess whenever I find myself thinking that I've communicated perfectly clearly, and it's the other person's fault for not understanding... It's certainly a helpful principle for the Plain English Version!

Give thanks that several Christian organisations have been interested in learning about plain English, and pray that schools and hospitals will also train their staff to communicate clearly with speakers of Indigenous languages.