Mastering "What Do You Mean By...?
Yuki nodded during her performance review.
Her manager spoke quickly about her work.
"You need to be more proactive in your approach going forward."
Yuki smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
But inside, she felt lost. What did "proactive" mean exactly? What kind of approach?
She was too scared to ask. She didn't want to look stupid.
For weeks, Yuki tried to guess what "proactive" meant. She worked harder. She stayed late. But nothing changed.
Her next review was worse.
Meanwhile, her coworker Tom got the same feedback.
"You need to be more proactive in your approach going forward."
Tom said, "What do you mean by proactive? Can you give me an example?"
The manager explained, "I mean suggest new ideas before I ask. Come to me with solutions, not just problems."
Tom understood perfectly. His next review was great.
The difference? Five magic words: "What do you mean by...?"
The Vague Words Problem
English has many words that sound important but have various meanings.
Vague words like:
- "Professional behavior"
- "Better communication"
- "More efficient"
- "Team player"
- "Flexible approach"
These words sound clear. But they're actually unclear. They mean different things to different people.
Why "What Do You Mean By...?" Works
This pattern helps in three ways:
**1. You get specific examples
** Instead of vague words, you get real actions.
**2. You sound engaged
** You show you care about doing things right.
**3. You avoid mistakes
** You don't guess wrong about important things.
The Basic Pattern
"What do you mean by [unclear word/phrase]?"
Examples:
Manager: "Be more professional."
You: "What do you mean by professional? Can you give me an example?"
Teacher: "Your essay needs better structure."
You: "What do you mean by better structure?"
Friend: "Let's meet somewhere convenient."
You: "What do you mean by convenient? Convenient for who?"
When English Gets Blurry
Fast speakers often use big words without explaining them.
Boss: "We need a more comprehensive approach to this project."
Problem: What does "comprehensive" mean here?
Solution: "What do you mean by comprehensive?"
Answer might be: "I mean we need to include marketing, sales, and customer feedback."
Doctor: "You should eat more nutritious food."
Problem: Which foods are nutritious?
Solution: "What do you mean by nutritious?"
Answer might be: "I mean more vegetables, less sugar, and whole grains."
Digging Into Rhythm Challenges
Sometimes connected speech hides important details.
Speaker: "We gotta be more efficient'n productive."
You hear: "We gotta be... efficient... productive."
You ask: "What do you mean by efficient and productive?"
Speaker: "You should focus on the important stuff."
You hear: Fast, unclear words
You ask: "What do you mean by important stuff?"
Advanced Patterns
**"What do you mean by [word] exactly?"
** Adds emphasis when you really need clarity.
**"What do you mean by [word] in this situation?"
** Gets context-specific answers.
**"Can you explain what you mean by [phrase]?"
** More polite version for formal situations.
Practice Examples
**Example 1:
** Speaker: "Your presentation needs more impact."
You: "What do you mean by impact?"
Speaker: "I mean stronger opening, clearer main points, and better visuals."
**Example 2:
** Speaker: "We need'ta improve our customer service."
You: "What do you mean by improve customer service?"
Speaker: "Answer calls faster and solve problems on the first call."
**Example 3:
** Speaker: "Be more creative with your marketing ideas."
You: "What do you mean by creative?"
Speaker: "Try social media, video content, or local partnerships."
Common Vague Business Words
These words often need clarification:
"Efficient" - Fast? Cheap? Easy?
"Professional" - Dress code? Behavior? Communication?
"Quality" - What standards? What level?
"Teamwork" - Help others? Share information? Attend meetings?
"Initiative" - Suggest ideas? Start projects? Work independently?
Common Mistakes
Don't ask about clear words: If they say "close the door," don't ask what "close" means.
Don't ask too many times: Ask once per conversation, not five times.
Don't sound aggressive: Use a helpful tone, not a challenging one.
Don't repeat obvious things: Ask about the unclear part, not everything.
Yuki's Success
Six months later, Yuki used this pattern regularly.
Manager: "We need better client relationships."
Yuki: "What do you mean by better relationships?"
Manager: "Call clients monthly, remember their preferences, and solve problems quickly."
Yuki knew exactly what to do. Her performance improved fast.
The Clarity Solution
Vague words create confusion. Fast speech makes it worse.
But "What do you mean by...?" solves both problems. It turns unclear instructions into clear action plans.