Language Can Be Isolating

I know a lot of words. I know more words than most people. This should make me an excellent communicator, but that fact alone doesn't. In fact, knowing more words than most people hinders my communication at times.

Imagine if you hated reality TV shows so much that the only way you could describe them was to say "they are my anathema." People don't know what the hell an anathema is. The average person would think that Anna Thema is a character on a reality show.

Language can allow for a very rich means of communication, especially a language as colossal as English, but language can be isolating. The most important aspect of communication is that all parties are using the same tools to communicate. If you know words that the other person does, they're no use in communicating to them.

I think of myself as a communicator more than anything else. Therefore, I take great pride not so much in an extensive vocabulary, but in my ability to use words that people do know in such a way that they can feel the power I want to express. If you rely on finding the perfect words to express your intent, you are missing out on so much of the art of communication. A good communicator may know the word that says just what they mean, but a great communicator can say just what they mean with even the most common of words.