To speak does not necessarily mean to communicate. Even if a person blurts a conglomerate of words from between his or her lips, most people will still have a difficult time following or understanding the point of the conversation without the use of other communication skills. From a series of grunts, snorts, and hoots or howls, communication has evolved to include eye contact and body language and different levels of formality and countless other variables. Each specific attribute of communication is changed to accommodate a variety of situations and audiences. Whether a good friend or a recently acquainted business associate is being talked to, most people, who have mastered the art of communication, effectively change many of the above-mentioned facets of communication to more thoroughly get his or her point across. .
Communication with a good friend involves many different "short cuts" that abridge a conversation. For example, a good friend probably knows that a small twitch of the right eyebrow means a sarcastic comment has been made and the same good friend should immediately realize that certain amusing details or self-incriminating information is being withheld because of an odd smirk or a nervous twitch of a few fingers. With good friends, it is not normally necessary to verbalize, demonstrate, or exaggerate every minute emotion or detail for him or her to understand the punch line of a joke or the moral of a story. When speaking with a good friend, he or she often times knows how to read a reaction even when very few words are used. Unlike communication with business associates, subtlety is a key component when speaking to good friends. .
Communication with business or professional associates requires clear, concise language and constant eye contact and a low but steady tone of voice most of the time in order to be positively perceived. Clear concise language, when speaking to a business associate, is to the point and contains few adjectives and even fewer side stories that are irrelevant and stray from the original point.
