As there are likely a thousand ways to say the same thing, and just as many ways to "hear" what someone else is saying, it is clear that the very simple daily process of "saying something to someone" is not so simple.

Since the entirety of our verbal communication is essentially the only medium through which we convey - and thus share - our ideas, expectations, and emotions, it is more than important that the clearer and more mutual our communication codes are, the more effective our interpersonal communication becomes.

Alan Garner's book "The Art of Communication," written by an expert in the art of understanding and addressing communication problems, as well as by someone who, over the past many years, has taught this art countless times, is the essence of the author's vast experience.