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The Power of Verbal Communication

Language creates our most important moments

We can’t help but marvel at the power of verbal communication. Words are our symbolic vehicle for creating and exchanging meanings, performing actions, and forging relationships. We use language to name all that surrounds us, and, in turn, the names we have created shape how we think and feel about these things.

But for most of us, the power of language is intensely personal. Call to mind the most important relationship events in your life. When you do, you’ll likely find they were not merely accompanied by verbal communication but were defined and created through it. Perhaps it was the first time you said “I love you” to a partner or posed the heart-stopping query “Will you marry me?” Maybe it was a doctor declaring, “It’s a boy!” “It’s a girl!” “It’s twins!” Or perhaps the relational events that float upward into memory are sadder in nature, the words bitter remnants you wish you could forget: “I don’t love you anymore.” “I never want to see you again.” “I’m sorry, but the prognosis is grim.”

“With great power comes great responsibility,” as the saying goes, and our power to shape and use verbal communication is no different. The words we exchange profoundly affect not only our interpersonal communication and relationships but also others’. The responsibility we bear because of this power is to communicate cooperatively.