Oh, the phrases they will throw!
After the Bank of England’s communications department had a meltdown in just that—communicating—it turned back the clock to grade school–level reading.
According to Business Insider, after it was found that the Bank of England’s inflation report could only be digested by an average of one in five people, the bank made its comms team read and study Dr. Seuss books. The idea was to use the simple literature to help inspire its workers’ own language more identifiable and easier to understand by the average person.
“Dr. Seuss was a master at using simple language, at getting children to read,” said Minouche Shafik, the former deputy governor for markets at the central bank, at the Hay Festival over the weekend.
Shafik’s revelation comes at a time when “… central banks are struggling with a wave of political populism, which favors policymaking based on emotions rather than evidence,” reported Business Insider. “Shafik said that economists often fail to engage with politicians and the public because of their dry, logical manner, and should do more to tell stories.”
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