Do You Think They Listened?

This is a scene I captured outside the college where I taught a class recently. It caught my attention because I saw the sign, then watched the entire gaggle of geese waddle purposefully into the pond.

Do you think they listened to the warning?

Or is it that they could not read the sign?
(The sign says "NO SWIMMING OR ICE SKATING".)

Think about this the next time you write something and wonder why people do not pay heed to what you write. Is it that what you write is at a level that is above your audience's heads? Do you use words or terms that are unfamiliar to your readers? Is your message clearly stated in your writing? Or have you considered that your audience may be unable to read the written message?

Consider that your target readers are a diverse audience, and that "diversity" includes "silent" issues such as reading ability or visual impairment. And you wonder how I got all this from geese swimming in a pond on a beautiful fall day!!!