In Australia,
recent discussions have continued around the need to improve the quality of financial
planners. This is in light of a number of high profile cases in the
banking and superannuation industry.
Constantly
we hear, the financial literacy of our community is low. Therefore the
solution always seems to be, to improve the training of the financial planners, better governance and stronger
consumer protection regulation.
However,
the longer term solution is cited as improving the financial literacy programs
in schools.......
See
the article in The Age on 22 July 2014.
mmmmm
this may help those students with financial and numeracy skills in 30 -40 - 50
years time when they are at retirement age . This is the age when most people
have their largest amount of money, and may need to talk with a financial planner about their
retirement financial plans.
Why
is it always the reader who has the problem?
There
is another solution. And it is not a solution that will take 30-40-50 years to
show improvement. What about writing and producing numerical information for the current level of literacy in the
community? Then, individuals can go to a financial planner with a greater understanding
of their own finances, and engage with meaningful questions about options.
Additionally, professionals in the industry, do need to learn to unpack and
stop using the lingo of their profession, and talk to the person in a way the
person understands. This is in no way restricted to just this industry.
Evidence
has shown in the development of insurance information, and even more
significantly in medical, technical and IT, emergency, and social areas of life, when information
is written at the level the person who is expected to use the information is
reading there is
·
greater persistence to engagement with the
material;
·
greater reading;
·
greater understanding;
·
greater change in behaviour.
This
use of everyday language, rather than professional or business or corporate
language is further beneficial to all industries and businesses, as research
has shown there are fewer calls to Call Centres requesting information, fewer
angry and confused customers and greater numbers of return customers. Reason:
the customer has a greater understanding of what they have signed up to.
The
technique referred to is Easy English. Cathy Basterfield, who owns and
operates Access Easy English, is recognised both nationally and internationally
in the original and ongoing development of Easy English. Cathy would be pleased to talk with you
further about how to improve the engagement of customers, by improving the written communication between you and your customers.
Cathy
Cathy
Basterfield
Access
Easy English
Consultant
Speech Pathologist
0466
579 855
