That’s what you said. Those were your exact words.
But that’s not what I meant!
How was I supposed to know that?
You’ve probably never had this verbal exchange with someone in your entire life, right? But I bet you have plenty of friends who had a serious disagreement and it all came down to person B taking what person A said literally, word for word, when person A meant something different.
If only.
If only person A would have chosen her words more precisely, person B would have known exactly what she intended and most likely would have responded in the manner person A expected. The argument and hurt feelings never would have occurred.
It happens all the time. In this scenario, the two friends merely had a falling out but were able to patch things up by talking it out. What if the two parties were boss and subordinate? Actions taken in a business setting may not be so easily undone. And the repercussions may reverberate through the entire company. If the actions involved an outside entity, such as a customer, vendor, analyst or member of the press, the damage may be irreversible. It may cost jobs, reputations, revenue and have far-reaching legal ramifications.
What if the two individuals were leaders of a country, or leaders of different countries? What if those two leaders weren’t exactly friends in the first place? What if they were bitter enemies?
None of this is inconceivable. In fact, it’s probably more probable than we care to admit. The words we choose must be precise and must be absent of ambiguity. Slow down. Think before you speak. What you say and how you say it does matter.
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