Recently I learned a three-letter lesson in effective communication from a 15-year old. (This is noteworthy because I have been speaking decades longer than she.) I asked Michelle if she would be playing soccer in the spring and, to my astonishment, she replied, “Yes.” I had to take a minute. It wasn’t the fact that she would be playing soccer that stopped me; it was the “Yes.” I’m used to hearing yea, yup, ok, uh-uh or, my favorite, nyea (a cryptic yes/no combo). “Yes” sounded definitive and decisive; I wasn’t left wondering if her decision would take root and I didn’t have to ask her again later; I could move on!
That encounter elevated yes to a new height. From now on, when responding in the affirmative, my answer to a yes-or-no question will be “Yes”! Likewise, when people ask, “What is it that makes you such as clear communicator?” I will respond, “Yes!”