Communication within any relationship is often misunderstood as only talking to the other person or only sparking conversation. Communication is more than that. In a relationship, communication refers to informing your partner about your expectations, needs, and boundaries, which your partner should be able to understand. Having open and transparent communication with your beloved is the very base of a healthy relationship and is vital for building the trust between you and them. Openly sharing your thoughts with them and keeping them posted are two integral aspects of effective communication. Whether it is a family member, your friend, or your partner, effective communication is a requisite for healthy relationships and strong bonds.
The Benefits of Effective Communication
There is an endless number of benefits that result from communicating effectively. Avoiding conflict and huge problems are benefits that consolidate the relationship. Arguments are bound to happen between any two people. However, the way people deal with them is what matters. When you can fully communicate your feelings and emotions to the other person in an open and honest manner, disagreements can be resolved more strategically and misunderstandings would be avoided, which is yet another benefit. Misunderstandings can lead to the decomposition and instability of a relationship. Another benefit is that it increases the intimacy between you and your partner. When you share some pertinent information with them, they should be able to reciprocate it while listening to you and giving you their full attention, which is conducive to a close connection and a fully-fledged relationship with transparency. All the aforementioned points about this benefit can fall under intimacy.
The Cons of Poor Communication
Weak communication between two people would obviously take a toll on their relationship, hence there would not be a base for the relationship, preventing it from further growing into a healthy one or leading to some kind of resentmenttowards your partner or beloved. When you suppress your thoughts and do not share them with your partner, then that can compile and grow into hostility which would, in turn, spark many problems between you and them. If you realize that your partner is not effectively communicating, you may start to be frustrated and exhausted from the relationship, eventually taking a toll on your mental wellbeing. A study has shown that poor communication is heavily correlated with the decision for a breakup or a divorce for both men and women.
The Steps to Effectively Communicate
The adequate amount of communication can vary from one relationship to another. Thus, the following steps can act as a basic guideline for many that are struggling with communicating in their relationship. First, try to build companionship, which refers to sharing your interests and experiences with them and seeing if you can find common ground. Many call this the “talking stage”, but those mundane conversations can happen at any stage of the relationship. As previously mentioned, communicating is not about talking to your loved one or partner all day. It is about rendering them knowledgeable about you and whatever you are comfortable with sharing. Thus, constantly updating them with your plan for the day can avoid many minor problems between the two of you. It can also prevent any misunderstanding from arising. If you are busy, tell them that you are. Letting them know about things that can potentially affect the relationship is also really important. For instance, if you are “bad” at texting, then you should inform them about this issue. There is a difference between a bad texter and a bad communicator.