"Use your words!" you might have heard during a tense moment during a family argument, or a couple's dispute, or maybe a squabble that's escalating into a full-on kerfuffle.

Using your words is important, but what's more important is how you use your words.

Here's the key to communication: people don't react to content of what you're saying as much as they do the tone of what you're saying, or the way you're saying it.

As long as you and I are homo sapiens, the unspoken communication between us will always be much, much louder than the words we exchange.

For better outcomes, be mindful of how you are using the words you are using.