Crystal Clear Guidelines –
Why We Need to Say What We Really Mean?
Have you ever received a vague instruction that sounded powerful but meant absolutely nothing?
I recently told my trainers, “Conduct this session with perfection.”
At that moment, it felt like the right thing to say. Strong, Motivating. Inspiring. But when I stepped back, I realised something important; everyone had a completely different interpretation of what “perfection” meant.
Some were preparing to run a session on discipline. Others thought I wanted something around positive thinking. A few imagined it was about positive energy, presence, or structure. Same instruction, different interpretations, completely different pictures in everyone’s mind. That’s when it struck me, the problem wasn’t their interpretation; it was my instruction.
What I actually wanted that day was far simpler. I wanted everyone to pay attention to pauses and punctuation. Nothing fancy, nothing philosophical. Just a small but powerful element of communication that changes meaning entirely. To show this, I used the classic example –
Let’s eat Grandma.
Now say it once without a pause and once with it. The moment you add that tiny comma, the whole sentence transforms. Suddenly you’re not eating Grandma; you’re inviting her to the table.
That’s how communication works. Sometimes the difference between clarity and confusion is one small pause, one added word, one extra second you take before speaking.
And honestly, this made me rethink how often we assume others “just know” what we mean. They don’t, not unless we say it clearly. So now, before giving any instruction, I do a quick self-check – Can this be interpreted in more than one way? If the answer is yes, I add the when, where, and how. Those extra five seconds save misunderstandings, frustration, and unnecessary back-and-forth.
Communication doesn’t always need to be elaborate. It just needs to be specific. A clear roadmap beats a dramatic instruction any day.
– Deepali
