Listening and hearing

I said the study of gangs and narcotrafficking. She heard study of crime.

I think there may be criminal enterprise, but I was more interested in it as a culture.

Do they bond on the economic unit or do they develop economic strategies from the bond?

Though thinking back on it now I am more interested in the meaning assigned to my words without further questioning.

Should I be more careful to be explicit? Is this a problem with my communication style?