If you buy my product but don’t read the instructions, that’s not your fault, it’s mine.
If you read a blog post and misinterpret what I said, that’s my choice, not your error.
If you attend my presentation and you’re bored, that’s my failure.
If you are a student in my class and you don’t learn what I’m teaching, I’ve let you down.

It’s really easy to insist that people read the friggin manual. It’s really easy to blame the user/student/prospect/customer for not trying hard, for being too stupid to get it or for not caring enough to pay attention. Sometimes (often) that might even be a valid complaint. But it’s not helpful.

What’s helpful is to realize that you have a choice when you communicate. You can design your products to be easy to use. You can write so your audience hears you. You can present in a place and in a way that guarantees that the people you want to listen will hear you. Most of all, you get to choose who will understand (and who won’t).

The reason I like this post so much is that it makes me take responsibility, and it makes you responsibility as well.  I can no longer become frustrated at you for not understanding me, I have to meet you where you are.  This is the brilliant thing about social media, it gives you a chance to know your audience and communicate accordingly.  Therefore, if you want to engage with me on some level, do your homework and speak my language because I’m going to do the same for you.  I think that it even encourages another level of respect for another person.  Speaking in a language and a way that they can understand tells them you respect them, which builds trust, which builds relationships…And relationships are powerful!