Words are Concepts

My teacher used to say- "Mind the words you use... Words are Concepts."
Profound.
At that time, perhaps we did not fathom the world of meaning in those three words.
My ex-CEO used to say, "getting that right word is important." He used to not rest until he found the right word to convey the point he was trying to make for his aticle in the magazine.
Each word conveys the import of the point one is trying to make. It conjures a mental landscape of events for the listener or the reader and substitutes for the actual experience of the event. The right set of words have the power to add life, drama and excitement to an otherwise dull description of events.
Most good story tellers have a larger linguistic map to convey their thoughts apart from a knack of spinning a tale.
Words have the power to communicate emotions, cause misunderstandings and most essentially, act as pointers or definitions to an object.
New words are born in our mindscape when we come across them in print or in speech, but only when we use them in our speech or written word, we give a life to them.
Another ex-boss would say- your communication should flow like a story, whether it is a simple e-mail or a presentation. Half the job is done if the first level of communication is correctly done. The continuity, the thought process and the assumptions all need to be taken care of while making your case.
For my part, often I find myself groping for the right word to convey my thoughts. The impact of what I am trying to convey is most of the time better when I select the correct word. I even take back my statement and replace it with the new word saying "that is the apt word." Don't feel good until I do that.