Imprecise words represent convoluted thinking. Consider these classics Iíve collective through the years:
 
· We are going to pre-board the plane. (How can you board an airplane before you board it?)
· I want to take a day out of your time to discuss this. (Not if I can help it! A day out of my schedule maybe.)
· The appreciation of a host-controlled environment will become not only the best way but the only way to implement complexity of a distributed network. (Is the appreciation a way? Why would they want to implement complexity--job security maybe?)
· The question may no longer be valid for all brick walls--changes in construction materials and methods jeopardize its truthfulness. (How can brick walls be truthful? Does the writer mean integrity or stability?)
· A clear understanding of the conversion that will take place is illustrated by the diagrams that follow. (The understanding is illustrated? They have a diagram of brain waves?)
· The following list of security coordinators has authority to write policy statements. (The list is going to write the statements? Does that mean the coordinators themselves can go home?)
 
Think about the logic of the entire sentence and make sure the words strung together say what you mean.
 
 
© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers programs on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. For more information, visit www.booher.com or call 800-342-6621.