Stay In Love Series Day 2: Talk and Communicate With Manners, Please
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We all know that good communication is key to any successful relationship. But how do we define good communication? I love this quote that says,
“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee,
and just as hard to sleep after.”
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
I have found in my own relationship that if I practice these few steps when communicating with Chris, our communication is much more rewarding.
1) Talk with respect to your partner. In order for your partner to share honest feelings, they need to know they can trust you to be courteous. Be carefully when choosing your words. And a little “please” and “thank you” never hurts.
2) Listen more than you talk. I really believe that good communication requires 20% talking and 80% listening. When my husband was proof-reading this for me he asked, “Do you think you listen 80% of the time?” Ah…no, not all the time. Point noted and I will try to improve in this area too. 🙂
3) Seize every opportunity to talk. Walks are a great time to share or even in the car while running errands. Chris and I like to talk at lunch while our little guy is at school. It may only be for 30 minutes, but sometimes it’s the highlight of my whole day!
4) Communication needs at least two people talking! There is a quotes that states,
4) Communication needs at least two people talking! There is a quotes that states,
“Two monologues do not make a dialogue.”~ Jeff Daly
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5) Don’t let your body talk for you. One research study showed that 55% of the emotional meaning of what you say is expressed by your facial expression. While only 7% of the emotion is verbal. So don’t forget to check in with your face from time to time. 🙂
6) Practice! Good communication does not happen over night. From my own experience it takes lots of honesty, courage, patients, thoughtfulness, love and time. Lots of time.
Today, I challenge you to look for any opportunity in your day to share some good communication with your partner. Take a little walk around the neighborhood. Run an errand together. Cook dinner together. Or maybe just curl up together at the end of the day.
How do you define good communication? Have any tips tips to share?
