Around 20 years ago, a friend who works at a financial institution said something about trust. He said “When people understand our messages, they’re more likely to trust us. Many financial institutions use language that their clients or potential clients don’t understand, so they don’t trust the institution.”
I realized that concept applies to every institution – schools, local government, law enforcement, everywhere.
This distrust is connected to the fact that in many situations, language is used intentionally to exclude, confuse, or oppress people. Legal language, voting ballots, health insurance, terms and conditions, and so much more are intentionally hard to understand.
When people see or hear language they don’t understand, they often think that someone is trying to deceive them.
Many training participants say that when they don’t understand someone, it’s because the speaker doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
Most people prefer to be with people they trust and understand.
If you want help building trust, hit the 'book a call' button to learn more.
Comments