by Kathy Ritchie

Have you ever found yourself in a room full of people, positive you understood the topic, only to find out you were completely off base? It's happened to me! In my family especially, we have a wide range of careers. Farmer, tow truck driver, executive in education, teacher, virtual assistant, bookkeeper, file clerk in human resources, maintenance manager and more! We can get together and speak on subjects, and the acronyms, abbreviations and slang can totally confuse various members.

For example: When I speak of PowerPoint® I'm talking about Microsoft's PowerPoint® software. My mother, on the other hand, thinks I mean the powerpoint in her truck that allows her to plug in a laptop computer! (She is the inspiration behind this article.)

Did you know that in some circles VA doesn't mean Virtual Assistant? Several in my family and circle of friends have a military background and assumed VA meant Veterans Administration when I first began to talk about my chosen career. Talk about confused people! It's taken nearly five years before they don't automatically think of the Veterans Administration when they hear "VA", they now know I mean Virtual Assistant.

The word "network" has many meanings, and unless all the persons are talking about the same meaning, the conversation can leave people bewildered. A network can be a group of computers linked together, a chain of radio or TV stations with shared programming, or a group of people who gather to talk up their companies and businesses.

Here's another example: Excel is another Microsoft software. Xcel is an energy company. Excel also means to be superior or surpass others in the same field. Imagine the perplexity surrounding this sentence when heard in conversation: Xcel will excel based on the content in Excel.

All this brings home the point that clear and articulate communication is the key to our success. Try to never assume your listener understands the thread of your conversation. Be sure to give a sentence or two for clarification.

© Kathy A. Ritchie, 2001
Kathy Ritchie is a professional virtual assistant and owner of Ritchie Secretarial Service. She has over 12 years experience in office assistance and successful operation of a Virtual Office Assistance practice since June 1996. Visit her award winning website at www.thebestva.com or E.Mail kritchie@thebestva.com for more information.