If you listen to the politicians and media, you would think that the public and private sectors are inhabited by completely different species.

Ideologies have replaced common sense, soundbites in place of rational discussion.

If we are really all in this together, the only way we can progress is to understand each other more.

My work involves dealing with both the public and private sectors – business owners, local authority officers, business group leaders and local, regional and national public sector leaders.

I can honestly say that I have yet to come across anyone in any of these organisations who does not sincerely want to give of their best – whether to help businesses to achieve their full potential or to grow their own business and employ more people.

Where it all tends to get a bit bogged down, unfortunately, is in the communication. Both the public and private sectors have their own terminology and jargon – this can be confusing for both sides.

Having worked with both the public and private sectors, I often come across situations where Local Authority officers and small business owners can be talking for a length of time without either truly understanding the needs of the other.

This is not always the case with larger businesses, who tend to be run by folks who know the language of the public sector and can adapt their own language to accommodate this.

However, a large number of small and micro businesses do not engage with the public sector at all – they do not understand the language and jargon used and therefore do not trust that help will be there for them.

So, my plea is an old one, but still valid: to the public sector, try not to use jargon and ‘public sector speak’ when addressing or seeking to engage with small businesses; to the private sector, realise that there is a lot of help out there if you put in the effort to understand what it is that is being offered.