“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” — Matthew 5:37 NIV

This verse is the words of Jesus, but He is not saying that we don’t need to explain ourselves or offer any commentary. What He is saying is let your communication be clear and simple. Our words should fit what we need to convey, our eyes should be fixed upon the person we are addressing, and our body language should be congruent with what we are saying. We don’t need to exaggerate, obfuscate, or be dishonest.

Communication begins with putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes so we can say what we need to in a way that they will understand. Using slang, euphemism, cultural jargon, profanity, fault-finding, or constant criticism risks alienating our listener.

So, if proper and good communication skills is important enough for our Lord to mention, its important enough for us to follow in our day-to-day tasks.