Did you say ‘resend’ or ‘rescind’?

Restating what you think you heard helps this communicator peel away the jargon

As Captain, Road Prison 36, (Strother Martin) said to Luke (Paul Newman) in Cool Hand Luke: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

And that failure can occur in all forms of communication.

It’s happened to most of us at one time or another. You write an e-mail that you think is funny and irreverent but as the recipient reads it, he or she “hears” your tone as serious and is offended. You write a blog you think everyone will recognize as tongue-in-cheek yet those commenting on it pillory you for being insensitive and unfeeling.

But who knew you have to choose your words just as carefully when you’re on the phone?

Well, apparently you do. Consider this exchange:

He said: “I need you to resend that contract.”

She heard: “I need you to rescind that contract.”