The importance of human communication is the focus of this guide for improving language habits, which explores both various communication problems and techniques for handling them. Topics discussed are as follows: bad language habits; words as symbols which do not dictate the nature of things in the real world; inaccurate communication which conveys knowing "all" or the "truth" about something; misunderstanding and mislabeling; indexing and dating; the use of indexing in the ghetto; the IFD formula--idealization leads to frustration and then to demoralization; communication in relation to business and leadership; and semantic irritations, including trivia. An appendix contains a list of books on general semantics and human communication, and a list of words (with meanings) which create problems and should be avoided. (JM)