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Why the Bank of England turned to The Cat in the Hat

It has been revealed that the Bank of England turned to Dr Seuss's 'Cat in the Hat' series t...
Newstalk
Newstalk

18.08 30 May 2017


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Why the Bank of England turned...

Why the Bank of England turned to The Cat in the Hat

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.08 30 May 2017


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It has been revealed that the Bank of England turned to Dr Seuss's 'Cat in the Hat' series to make its writing more accessible.

The decision came after a report found that only one in five people could understand the jargon used in its financial reports.

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Nemat Shafik, the former deputy governor for markets at the English central bank, told the Hay Festival in Wales that its communication team analysed the books' writing style because Dr Seuss was, "a master at using simple language," according to the Independent.

She added that dry technocratic language faces a challenge to get facts across in an era when soundbites and populist messages are grabbing headlines.

"Most experts need to challenge themselves," she continued, stating that organisations need to be able to tell the story behind the information which they are publishing.

Ms Shafik left the Bank of England to become the director of the London School of Economics.


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