Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say

Good communication stems from this adage—Say what you mean and mean what you say. If you take care of it in your conversation, you will find that you become a better speaker and eventually people start viewing you as a better person.

 

There are two aspects of this adage. Maybe you don’t quite understand how this line is relevant on the whole, but when you break it down into its two distinct parts, then you are better able to understand the message that it is trying to convey.

 

Saying What You Mean

 

For a person aspiring to be a good conversationalist, this is of utmost importance. You have to always say things that you truly mean. Using words just for the sake of them is something you should never indulge in. It is quite all right to be a person of a few words, but you have to make sure that you mean these words well. By extrapolation, you have to make sure that you don’t say anything that you don’t mean. Don’t say anything that you will regret later. Remember that most of the hurt in the world has come from ill-used words; wrong words that were used in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

Before saying something important, it is quite all right to take a little breather and think over what you want to say. Don’t blurt things out. It is always wise to do a little thinking first. If you have time, you could think how to properly word a particular thing so that it has a better effect. This is an art, and our English language is so vast that there is a word for almost everything that doesn’t sound impolite or rude.

 

Keep in mind that you will always be held accountable for what you say. So that you don’t have to eat humble pie later, it is better to say only things that you truly mean, things that you will stand testimony for at any point in future.

 

Meaning What You Say

 

This is the more difficult part of the conversation. This is the part where you are supposed to take action. When you have said something, you need to stand by it. You have to put it into action if you have said it. That’s what this part refers to.

 

A person’s real worth is seen in how they are able to stand for their words. Indeed, spoken words hold no real value unless and until they are implemented. And that is the reason why people want you to mean what you say. You are not allowed to just say things without being aware of the repercussions. On the other hand, if you say something and then are able to stand by it, you gain everyone’s respect.