The Most Important Question

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The Most Important Question

There is a question that everyone should be prepared to ask.

It is, "When you say that, what do you MEAN, specifically?"

If you say, "I believe in a fair wage, for everyone", then the people should reply, "What do you mean by a "fair wage?"

If you write, "Sam, when you come to the meeting, please ensure you bring with you all the relevant papers".

Then Sam is bound to wonder, "When he says, relevant papers, what does he mean, specifically?"

Stand ready to answer the question, or better still, pre-empt the question, by supplying the additional detail that will remedy any confusion or ambiguity.

Go through your message and identify any words or phrases that have the potential to be misunderstood or mis-represented and then either, reword your message, or elaborate upon your exact meaning.

Failure to properly explain your exact meaning will lead to painful consequences.

If you fail to explain your ideas properly you run the risk of:

• Being misunderstood.
• Being misrepresented.
• Losing your credibility as a knowledgeable person.
• Losing your power to persuade people.

Be ready to ASK the same question.

"When you say that, what do you mean specifically".

When listening to others, don't guess at their meaning.

Don't assume they mean what you think they mean.

If you are not sure about the exact meaning, then ask them to elucidate!

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Further Reading in Communication - Clear Communication

• Communication Skills: ABC Principle
  Making sure that people understand your message is important, and there are three ways you can make this happen: By being accurate, being brief and being clear. We call this the ABC principle.
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• Top Tips to Effective Communication
  You would benefit if you improved your ability to communicate more effectively. See our top tips to improve your words, voice tone and body language. Improve your communication and improve your confidence.
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• Think Before You Speak
  Did you see the upset that Donald Trump caused last week with his ill-thought-out words about COVID-19, in front of the world's media? This is a great example of why you should always think before you speak.
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• How to Communicate Effectively
  How to Communicate Effectively In order to do well, you will need the cooperation of others. You will need to gain the cooperation of many people, including: Your partner Your bank Your customers Your suppliers Your colleagues at work Failure to gain their cooperation will mean either: They won't help you...
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• Communication skills - Accurate language
  Communication skills - Accurate language Many people have trouble expressing themselves. They say: "I know what I mean but I can't explain it!" But you need to be able to express yourself with both clarity and accuracy. Here is a rule that will help you to get better results. Clarity is...
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