There is something wonderful and beautiful about the contrast between a highly intelligent, capable person and them dropping these two simple words. While this mic drop happened several years ago, my friend’s words have, well, mattered on a consistent basis since.
Non-verbal communication is powerful for kids and adults alike. But non-verbal communication isn’t always easily discernible. It’d be great if people could pick up a manual about it like they can a map at a gas station that gives them directions, cues, a detailed legend and colors to help find your way to your destination. Even exceptional empaths will occasionally misread the furrow of frustration as extreme focus. I should know, I’m one of those exceptional empaths, a mentalist who can navigate people with the ease of a gamer selling and buying from a reliable NPC.
And things only get messier with verbal communication.
The shared vocabulary of people in a specific region or interest group can be quite impressive. The Venn diagram would look closer to a cyclops than a two-eyed human that’s for sure. Yet having the shared vocabulary doesn’t mean the people share the same definition and/or application of the words.
I always like to go to the classic discussion example of “What makes a good person?” You can go rounds with people and so rarely have I witnessed someone pull the e-brake on the conversation to say, “Hey, let’s define what ‘good’ means before we continue.”
With this site refresh and my renewed desire to help people grow, to push the proverbial envelope, I thought it befitting to establish the message in this post. And, what I hope, establish the tone for all subsequent posts.
Words matter.
— Buddy