Do Words Really Matter?

Reclaiming the Role of Vocabulary

Recently I was in conversation with the CFO of a leading private financial firm. We were mapping communication strategy. Specifically, how to help his team develop stronger strategic preparation.

Then he paused and said:

He wasn’t criticizing. He was naming a gap.
One I don’t always address in coaching.
But I should.

I often speak about syntax: the structure and rhythm of sentences that shape how meaning lands.
It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to clarify thought and influence perception.

But vocabulary?

I don’t talk about it much. I’m not a grammar teacher.
And when we fixate on individual words, we risk losing what matters most: message and connection.

Still, vocabulary is essential.

It’s a long-game skill that doesn’t require we return to elementary school. But it does require that we mindfully cultivate our relationship with words.

Because vocabulary shapes how clearly we think,
how confidently we speak,
and how effectively we lead.

So let’s talk about it.

Why This Matters

Nobody wants to listen to someone peacocking “fancy words” just to sound impressive.

In fact, the most revered communicators often use deceptively simple language.

Take Mary Oliver, one of the most beloved poets of our time.
Her words are unadorned, but they land with precision.
She didn’t use small words because they were all she knew.
She used them because she could.

And that’s what mastery sounds like.

Vocabulary shapes perception.
It gives us more surface area to express complex thought, emotion, and vision.

What the Research Tells Us

Vocabulary is not optional.
It is a foundational skill that shapes clarity, credibility, and long-term influence.

Reading, especially in print, strengthens vocabulary retention.
It builds pattern recognition, develops nuance, and expands expressive range.
The broader your reading, the more precise your language becomes.

Retrieval turns knowledge into language.
Practices like writing, journaling, and explaining aloud move words from passive memory into active use.
The words you can recall and apply under pressure are the ones that shape how others perceive your thinking.

Exposure accelerates growth.
We don’t just learn vocabulary through instruction.
We learn it through proximity.
People who consistently hear thoughtful, high-level language in context — through conversation, storytelling, or discussion — absorb vocabulary naturally.

One of the strongest predictors of vocabulary in children?
It isn’t formal instruction.
It’s whether they eat dinner with their family.

Here’s what that does:
They hear adults speaking above their level.
They’re exposed to language in real time, with tone, nuance, and repetition.
They absorb not just words, but the networks of meaning that surround them.

Adults are no different.

Professionally, we must continue to level up.
Vocabulary is a reflection of exposure and experience.
And the more complex our ideas become, the more language we need to articulate them clearly.

If You Want to Strengthen Your Vocabulary, Start Here

Surround yourself with people who have command.
Be in rooms where the language stretches you. Don’t rush to speak. Just listen.
Capture what stands out. Look it up. Reflect. Integrate.

Read more — and read more diversely.
Not just business books. Read fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs.
Let language surprise you. Annotate what delights you.
You’ll start to notice rhythm, roots, and structure.
English is a wild word world.

Capture it.
I keep a small Moleskine. One side is for words I love or want to learn.
The other is for lines, quotes, or phrasing that move me.
(I stole the idea from Lake Bell. In In a World, she shares how she collects voices and accents in a journal/recorder. I started doing the same with words. It’s de-lightful.)

Much of this work is not new.
But it is a call for conscious curation of vocabulary. And a reminder that it is not elementary.

Here’s to cultivating a stronger relationship with words!

However you like.

With presence,
Mary

P.S. Now booking for the next Executive Communication Sprint.
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