Ambiguity can lead to misunderstandings and confusion because it relies on one’s interpretation; and interpretation has infinite possibilities. In order to limit miscommunication we should be more specific. Instead of telling your sister you hate her, you should try: “you are so much prettier than I am, you have so many friends, mom and dad love you best, and I am so jealous of you!” J I’m joking of course because no one should hate their brother/sister. ¬ This here, is exactly what I am talking about, and it wasn’t even planned. None of you know me, and I did not want to assume that you would all understand my humor; so I followed this example of how to be more specific with an explanation/aclaration so as not to leave any of you with the idea that this was intended as a true suggestion or even a real experience of mine ( I don‘t have a sister). Why did I do this? I am aware that there is the possibility that someone might be feeling insecure around one of their siblings, I am aware that people like to assume that others interject personal experiences into their examples, and I am aware of the possibility that you may have “got it” and just didn’t appreciate it, and I did not want to come off as arrogant (I think my sister is jealous of me) or insensitive (I am making light of a real issue).
So I guess ambiguity is more prominent than I was planning to argue…I couldn’t even get past the intro. J The point is you should always protect yourself when communicating with others by ensuring that you are being understood the way you want to be. Not only will you save time (you won’t have to re-explain yourself) you will nurture your relationships (we regret offending people when it is done on purpose, but when it is done unintentionally it is just sad and unnecessary). So be clear and precise.
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