Episode 15: Plain English, Confidence and Comms in a Second Language, with Zhen Yang
The Comms Collective – Conversations in Purposeful CommunicationsShow Notes
In this episode of The Comms Collective, host Vishnee Sauntoo is joined by Zhen Yang, Communications Manager in the Education, Work and Skills team at Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Zhen moved to the UK from China over 20 years ago and has built her entire comms career in her second language. In this conversation, she and Vishnee talk about what it really takes to communicate clearly, where confidence comes from, and why plain English is one of the hardest things in comms to get right. What we cover:
Zhen's route into comms, from a marketing master's degree to a LinkedIn job advert that changed her career Why the hardest part of working in a second language wasn't the language itself, but the ‘unwritten rules’ of British communication How Zhen turned that experience into a professional strength — and her test for plain English (if her husband doesn't get it, it's too complicated) The mentor who told her ‘don't dim your light for other people’, and what that taught her about showing value rather than showing off The LG Comms Future Leaders programme, and how it reshaped her idea of what confident leadership looks like Her work on the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBac), connecting young people with employers, colleges and training routes into work Why public sector comms is shifting from measuring outputs to proving outcomes Her advice to her younger self: worry less, speak up sooner, and take the compliment
Guest Zhen Yang, Communications Manager, Greater Manchester Combined Authority. LG Comms Future Leaders graduate (2025) and co-lead of the LG Comms Zero to Hero programme. Member of the Asian Comms Network. Host Vishnee Sauntoo, founder of VS Comms and host of The Comms Collective. Mentioned in this episode Advita Patel, author of Decoding Confidence and guest on episode 13. Links VS Comms website · Asian Comms Network · Zhen Yang — LinkedIn
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