Try this revealing (and fun) exercise to show you how easy it is to confuse what we think we’re saying with what others actually hear. I did this recently when working with a group of senior execs and it’s very telling and shows just how much room there is for confusion when you’re offering an opinion or making a request.

Sitting in a circle, everyone looked a bit apprehensively at each other and I could virtually hear them saying to themselves “Oh here we go, I’m going to have to say something about myself and ‘share’ when I don’t want to etc”. You know the drill.

The point of doing what we were about to do was to show why it’s so crucial to check in with your client/customer/colleague/spouse/friend to make sure what you think you’ve said means, (to them) what you actually said.

I asked everyone to write the word “dog” on the top of a piece of paper and then to take 30 seconds to write as many words that sprang to mind when they heard the word dog!

Everyone partnered up to compare notes and, without exception, we all had many different takes on the word “dog”, ranging from “tooth check”, “hound-dog”, “scary”, “man’s best friend”, “commitment”, “furry”, “poo-bags”.

Now if all those differing associations, perceptions and meanings came from such a simple, everyday word just think of the room for confusion when people use jargon-y, overblown, ‘corporate’ language.

These days, as we’re working around the world and in quick-fire style, on email/text/twitter etc it’s even more important to check what you mean to say is clear – “by that I mean” is a useful little phrase to pop in. Say the ‘jargon’ and then translate it for the other person. For example: “The strategic alliance we’ve created – and by that I mean our partnership which works both ways – ”. With an ever-increasing multi-cultural business landscape, your language has to evolve with the time too. Otherwise, who knows what you’re saying?!