Is Your Audience Understanding Your Message?

As we reach out with God’s Word, we all seek to be understood. But are we making assumptions about how people engage with and process information? If you are reading this copy, what are your assumptions about the literacy of those you are trying to reach globally?

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<p><img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/missio-graphics/Volume+1/missiographic-Literacy.png" alt="" width="800" /></p>
<p><a href="https://missionexus.org/is-your-audience-understanding-your-message/"><strong>Is Your Audience Understanding Your Message?</strong></a><br />As we reach out with God's Word, we all seek to be understood. But are we making assumptions about how people engage with and process information? If you are reading this copy, what are your assumptions about the literacy of those you are trying to reach globally?</p>

Personal Reflection
Do you know any people who are primarily oral communicators? If you do not, take some time to learn about Orality at the International Orality Network site: http://www.orality.net/. If you do, are you actively learning from them and striving to engage them in ways that will be understood?

Engaging the Church
Do you assume that everyone in your church is literate and learns best through the written word? You may be surprised to find how many oral learners there are around you, even in highly literate countries. Ask some people in your congregation how many books they have read this year. Also, ask some of the missionaries your church supports how they are communicating their messages. Find out how they are addressing the issue of literacy and oral learning in their ministry context.

Organizational Application
In organizations that depend on broad programs to drive activity and funding, it is natural to generalize and make assumptions. Take a look at the programs your ministry is involved in and ask yourself if you are taking oral learners into account. What could you do to engage oral learners and those who feel comfortable with the written word on an equal footing?

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