5 Communication Tips to Help Improve your Relationships in 2022
In the words of Rollo May, “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.”
As tricky as establishing good communication can be, it is incredibly valuable in your friendships, family connections, professional relationships, and romantic endeavors. After all, no matter how intense the connection is, poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, resentment, hurt, and even anger.
To help you continually improve your communication skills, here are five tips that may help you develop life-long tools and skills.
Communication Tips To Effectively Build Your Relationships
1. Recognize the Areas You Need to Work On
To build better communication skills, you should first identify the areas in which you are lacking. This involves observing how you interact with your partner and realizing how often you set yourself up for conflict as opposed to conflict resolution.
How do you communicate with your partner?
Some behaviors that are common with poor communication involve:
● Being passive-aggressive
● Interrupting your partner
● Assuming you know what they are saying instead of clarifying
● Being cold and defensive
● Refusing to compromise
● Arguing around the issue without resolving it
● Picking out elements to fight about, like words used, instead of the problem itself
● Ignoring issues and pretending they never happened
● Yelling
It’s challenging to feel connected and find resolution when you incorporate any of the behaviors mentioned above.
Learning how to approach others with compassion and patience can help you observe and respond appropriately.
2. Be Realistic With Your Expectations
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are safe and trusting relationships. An excellent way to calm the chaos during a misunderstanding is to take the time to honestly talk and listen without trying to change someone.
Setting reasonable expectations without trying to force anything, allows both of you to move in grace with each other.
3. Listen and Ask Questions
One of the most important things about listening is that you’re not waiting for your turn to talk. When someone is speaking to you, and you’re formulating your response, you miss most of what they say.
Instead, take the time to listen, no matter how long it takes. Sit in mutual silence if needed without interrupting. Ask questions about their experiences and beliefs to show that you have heard them and maybe clarify anything you didn’t understand.
4. Don’t Hide Your Feelings and Needs
Honesty, especially with yourself, is one of the most important elements in building a reliable and strong relationship. If you hide what you’re feeling or leave things unsaid, you fail to communicate effectively.
As unpleasant as it may be, it’s vital that you don’t hide from the truth out of fear and that you share your truth gently and openly. You are trying to build a better connection, and without honesty, it will be hard to go very far.
5. Cool Down if You Need To
Cool down if you need to
During conflicts, it can be so easy to say something that you can’t take back in the heat of the moment. If one or both partners are upset, it’s not bad to have a time-out period until you can circle back.
The conversation will be much more productive when there aren’t reactive emotions at play.
Just like with any skill, it can take time and patience to cultivate good communication skills. However, you can be rewarded with deeper connections and the willingness to truly understand one another better.
If you need to speak to someone, such as a counselor or therapist, we have the support you’re looking for. The Blissful Heart Wellness Center is home to a variety of experts whose goals are to help you in your personal growth as well as helping to improve your relationships with others.