Which poet said the English and Americans are divided by a common language? Let’s take that a step further, we Americans are separated by a common language too.
It is the subtlety of the use of our language which divides us. If I say “I love you” that can mean about a half a million things! What we mean by “I love you” is not necessarily clear from the spoken words, then we add what the listener wants to hear into the mix, then we add the possibility of irony to the situation and the words “I love you” can become essentially meaningless.
How many other words or phrases fall into this trap? “Great Job!” can mean you did well, or it can mean we messed-up. “I don’t care” can mean I have no opinion one way or another, or that I do indeed have a great deal of opinion about the topic.
So how do we deal with this potential land mine of communication? By being impeccable with our words. We often get sloppy with what we are saying.
In the book “It’s All About Me” I go into some depth about this issue, and give suggestions as to how you might find some places where your own word choices leave too much room for interpretation when what you want to be is very, very clear.
This is all part of being IN-powered, knowing what you want to say, and making certain that message gets across. From the place of IN-powerment we leave little room for others to dismiss our words and thoughts, and we call ourselves to account for the message we are giving.
Read It’s All About Me and discover for yourself how simple it is to make a few changes in your communication to avoid countless heart aches.