February 2
5 Tips for Effective Communication
By Denise Humphrey, Ph.D., www.DeniseHumphrey.com
The most important component to a healthy relationship is healthy communication. Learning how to effectively communicate not only strengthens the bond you share with your significant other, but it also provides a vehicle for reaching peaceful solutions during moments of conflict and crisis. Utilize these five tips the next time you need to engage in a conflict resolution conversation with your partner or spouse.
5 Tips for Effective Communication
- Stay on Message: Although it can be easy to bring up seemingly related conflicts when communicating about one particular issue, this is usually not an effective way to resolve the conflict at hand. Bringing up previous conflicts can cause additional hurt feelings and detour the entire conversation. Stay on message and communicate only your feelings and understandings of the current issue.
- Really Listen: People often mistake listening with planning a rebuttal. Really listen to what your partner is saying. Pay attention to his or her body language, facial expressions, tone of voice. Give your partner the respect of being genuinely heard. Hear the other person and consider his or her perspective without interrupting or getting defensive. Just listen. And then, instead of replying with a rebuttal, reflect back what the person said to ensure you accurately understood what was communicated.
- Take Responsibility: Rarely is a conflict fully the responsibility of only one person. Own your share of the blame and know that taking responsibility is a strength rather than a weakness. When we own our share of the responsibility, the other person is more likely to feel compelled to own his or hers as well.
- Find a Compromise: Rather than focusing on the problem, focus on the solution. Solution-oriented conversations are far more productive than problem-focused arguments. Seek ways in which each person can compromise to find a mutually beneficial resolution.
- Get Help: Sometimes couples are faced with conflicts that are simply too difficult to resolve together. Oftentimes, one or both individuals find it too difficult to remain respectful, or a compromise is too difficult to reach. Employing the expertise of a professional therapist can bring the necessary skills to resolve current and future conflicts. Ideally both individuals should attend therapy, but a relationship can benefit even if only person seeks help.
Denise Humphrey, Ph.D.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Humphrey today! 972-239-2490
CREDENTIALS
• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology: Fielding Graduate University
• Master of Music in Piano Performance: University of Notre Dame
• Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance: Southern Methodist University
• License No. and State: 32345 Texas
• Board of Trustees, Dallas Foundation for Psychoanalysis
• Chair, Arts Committee for the Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology
• Member, National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
