One word. That’s all it takes to change the meaning of your entire sentence or thought. Read the following example to see how powerful communication is and how you can change your entire life when you work to improve communication. I once knew a woman whose husband provoked an argument by using the word “but” when he meant to use the word “and.” It seems the couple had committed to a date night once a week and after the first of such nights, the husband was asked how it went. The exact sentence as relayed to the husband’s friend, who later relayed it to the wife, is as follows. “She was very talkative throughout the evening, but we had a good time.” Well, when the woman heard this she was livid! She thought her husband was saying that she talked too much but they had managed to have a good time anyway.

After a good deal of fuming and pouting, the couple finally had it out. It turns out the husband had meant to say the word and instead of the word but and truly hadn’t realized how much one small word could change the meaning of his sentence. He finally explained to his wife, who had gotten her feelings hurt, that all he had meant to say was that it was great that they finally had time to talk without the kids around. “I meant to say,” he pleaded, “that she was very talkative and we had a good time.”

Finally forgiven, the husband made a commitment to improve communication between he and his wife. As you might guess, this wasn’t the first time they had had words because of well, words! Time and again, this couple had misunderstood one another, largely due to a wrong word choice. The story makes even more sense when you realize the woman was a professional writer who was used to making every word count while her husband had failed high school English twice before finally graduating. Vocabulary buidling had never been a priority for the husband.

You may have similar experiences of misunderstandings and hurt feelings when miscommunication occurs. However, the ability to relay information in a concise, effective manner will have a large bearing on how successful you are in your personal and professional life. Relationships – all relationships are impacted either negatively or positively by the quality of communication. Ultimate Vocabulary can assist you in improving this aspect of your life.

Of course, most communication issues are far more complex than simply saying but when you mean and. Still, it is an important lesson for those of us who lack stellar communication skills. One of the best ways to improve communication is by building up your vocabulary. Learning how and when to use the right word can make all the difference in the world – literally!

Tags: Building Vocabulary, general use vocabulary, Improve Communication, Vocabulary Building