7 Easy Ways to Improve Communication in Relationships
Sometimes, it’s hard to communicate with your partner. You might disagree on a topic where no side wants to make compromises. You or your partner might go through emotional crises, suffering from inner traumas, which stops you from finding healthy ways to handle your problems together.
If such a situation appears, the best way to solve it is to try couple therapy. But how to improve communication in a relationship if you don’t have resources or time for psychological help? Find the answer below.
Signs That Your Relationship Communication Needs Improvement
If you notice at least one of such problems, it may be a sign you need to work on your communication in relationships and learn about how to better communicate with your partner:
- Aggressive speech in the house. You or your partner might show such toxic behavior patterns as criticism or raising your voice.
- Silent mode. Showing no aggression can be a sign of poor communication, too. You or your partner barely answers questions, doesn’t initiate conversations, etc. But the problem is that the “I don’t talk to you” strategy never helps to improve relationships. How can a person know they did something wrong if you don’t explain it?
- Passive-aggressive attitude. You or your partner may express your anger by masking it under “innocent” jokes, giving a side eye, making a disgusted face, etc.
- Conflict avoidance. Surely, trying to eliminate conflicts in a relationship is a good wish. However, some conflicts need to be faced. Otherwise, they can grow into bigger issues, which will be very hard to resolve.
The Difference Between Online and Offline Communication in Relationships
Couple communication has different levels, and one of them is online & offline. Virtual and real-world interaction differ, so the signs your communication becomes worse differ, too.
- You text or chat through video/phone calls less often
- You use less kiss/love emojis and smiles
- You are left to read or receive strange emojis as the reply to your long messages
- Your interaction is now about asking “How are you?” and sending memes
- You see each other as often as you used before
- You kiss or hug each other less often
- Your partner pretends not to hear
- You when you tell them something
- You discuss only basic things.
- The deepness of the conversations you had earlier now is fading
Best Ways to Improve Communication Skills in Relationships
Your communication can become more pleasant if you work on it. But what does it mean to work? It’s about trying the relationship communication tips below.
Be Honest
How to communicate your feelings in a relationship? If you want to know how to communicate with your partner better, honesty will be the answer. It may sound trivial, but, in reality, many people fail to be honest. Not only with their partners but with themselves, too. Ask yourself, “What is wrong?” Is it that bad that your partner forgets to switch off the light when they leave the room, or maybe you have problems at the job that make you stressed out and take your anger out on your loved ones?
Restart
When you feel you are going to “blow up”, pause and try to explain your feelings again. Or if you feel your partner will explode right now, distract them and let them rethink their feelings and re-explain themselves.
Forget
Some conflicts are impossible to resolve because another person is not your clone and can’t think the same way as you. If this is a minor problem — just let it go. Minor conflicts are not worth your time.
Think of Preferred Communication
This tip is about discussing with your partner what style of communication you both prefer. Explore the types of communication in relationships. There is straightforward communication when you tell things as it is and a compassionate style when you discuss issues more gently. Your partner may be offended or irritated by the way you talk with them. That’s why you have to consider it.
Respect
How to improve communication skills in relationships with healthy ways to communicate? Be respectful. Here, respect means to stop blaming your loved one. Although your partner might do something wrong, it doesn’t mean they deserve to be yelled at like little children. Often, showing respect and patience does make the person change, while blaming only makes the situation worse.
Make It Versatile
“Why do I struggle to communicate with my partner?” Sometimes, the answer to this question is very easy — your life together becomes too boring, and you need to add something new. Maybe you will want to experiment in bed or maybe you will want to go hiking together — something you never tried before.
Be Opposite
The balance is in combining opposites. In our case, opposite energies. To feel harmony in a relationship, partners have to bring up each other’s energies — feminine energy in females and masculine energy in males. It will help you both feel “in the right place” and let go of the feeling something is lacking in your life.
FAQ
Non-verbal cues are another way to learn what another person wants to say without words. The body language, voice tone, facial expressions — all of this helps understand another person better. However, they should not replace verbal communication because a person might not understand your side-eye.
There are five core rules which can help you deal with misunderstanding in communication:
– Don’t assume, but ask a person what they mean exactly.
– Think of the proper time and place to discuss the issue.
– Control your emotions.
– Avoid “teaching.”
– Say sorry if you are guilty.
– First, calm down. For this, take time to be separate from each other.
– Secondly, think of what happened and why, and try to explain feelings in a different (calmer) way.
– Instead of blaming and proving your point, try to find the solution to the problem.
The best tips are to be respectful to each other, listen to your partner’s needs, and be open about your vulnerabilities to avoid further fights. But it will work only if two partners want to change something in their relationships. Otherwise, it will be an emotional torture for a person who takes all 10 out of 10 steps.
We people begin to feel a deep intimate connection when we feel a person understands us. Effective communication is key to hearing and seeing each other’s true sides.