I think that people, in general, have a hard time understanding how sound works. I know it took me a long time, and I still only know the very basics. Maybe it is because it is unseen and unknown? When you are in a room that sounds great, you don’t even think about it. When you are in a room that sounds bad, you definitely notice it and want to do something to fix it. At least that’s how it is for me. Most people don’t even know that they can do anything about it.
There are some great analogies about sound that helped me out a lot. Very generic, but they helped me to understand. If you are a visual person, like myself, you will really enjoy this video that helped me understand the way sound works in rooms. John Calder from Acoustic Geometry, our sister company, made a wonderful video that explains how sound works in rooms. He uses a Nerf gun to represent the path that sound travels along with some other fun props. I think it is worth a view, even if you already have a grasp on how sound works. It was produced so that even my mom (sorry mom) can understand what is going on.