Intent vs Impact

We usually know what we want to communicate. In fact, we are often adamant that we have communicated exactly what we were determined to communicate – even if the result is not what we expected! It is important to remember that the word communication comes from the Latin word communicare – to make common. True communication only occurs when the result is consistent with the intent and we achieve a “common” understanding. No matter how clearly we feel we have expressed our message, we have only communicated when we can confirm that it was heard as intended.