Communication

I talked a little bit about communication last time in regards to family stressors and its importance to work through them. This week, I will go more in depth about why communication is so important.

With communication, there is a sender and receiver of messages. Between them can be noise, which can interfere with the message being sent. This noise can be anything ranging from the environment to how you feel about the sender of the message. Both parties need to realize going in that their ability to communicate could be compromised by many factors.

Another thing about communication and why it's so important within relationships and marriages is that is brings everyone to the same page. There will be less miscommunication and a better understanding of one another and their point of view. Some tips in communicating include:

• Listening with real intent
• Listen to understand, not to correct
• Don't try to solve the problem right there, listen first, then work out problems together
• Notice non-verbal cues
• Make the environment a positive one
• Be open-minded

After being in a communications class, it has really helped me with my Family Relations class because I understand that proper communication can benefit everyone, not just married couples.

Just remember, communication is key to having a strong relationship with anyone!