Being honest is hard. Being honest when you're wrong is even harder. Now try being honest in public; that takes some bravery. What I've also learned after almost 15 years in the supposedly evil world of public relations is that honesty is both difficult and doable. And when you do it carefully and consistently, it makes all your communication flow more smoothly.

Journalism school taught me to be skeptical of someone who refuses to comment in a news story. My years in communication have only cemented that skepticism.

The best work of my career has often involved a whole network of people working together to make things happen.  It's also taught me that all aspects of our life include relationships with other people. When we shift our perspective to one focused on relationship, it shifts the way we communicate and interact with people.

Words have power, and we have a responsibility to wield them carefully. It's been nearly 200 years since Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword," but it remains painfully true. From our most intimate relationships to international diplomacy, our word choices can be the difference between peace and war.

I am obsessed with words, but I also know communication is so much more than that. There are countless elements that tell your audience something about you, your business, your choices.