Enunciation Matters

I often wonder how many conflicts could be avoided or resolved if people actually heard what others said.  At a recent community event I had the opportunity to experience a humorous example resulting from a lack of careful enunciation.   We were discussing a community colleague's recent trip to Spain.  He mentioned how expensive food is in Spain.  He and his travelling companion ate rarely in white tablecloth restaurants.  Instead they chose tapas bars for most of their meals.  Our other colleague's stunned expression and subsequent confession, let us know that she thought he'd said that they had been frequenting topless bars.

This was yet another reminder to me to check for understanding in communications.