Section III Verbal Communication We are a talking species--we value language and the use of words. We are taught at a very early age to hear, speak, read, and write words. We use them to communicate our thoughts, feelings, and needs. A major component of human intelligence is based on a person's vocabu- lary. In other words, we tend to judge how intelligent a person is based on how large their vocabulary is. The bottom line is that when we talk to people, we use words. Unfortunately, having a broad vocabulary doesn't ensure social success in human interactions. Besides the words themselves, there are verbal techniques neces- sary to accomplish your relationship goals. A verbal technique is how to say something beyond the words themselves. An analogy would be the throwing of a baseball or softball using a certain technique when you release the ball. The pitcher cradles the ball in his or her hand in dif- ferent ways such that, when the ball is thrown, it follows different paths (e.g., fast ball, change up, curve ball). These different paths, or the delivery of the ball, represent the technique.