Communication in Relationships

Communication in Relationships
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Communication in a Relationship
Conversing is the cornerstone of any healthy relationship according to ‘Ten Relationship Myths’ (Dr Phil, 2002). At the stage of ignition of a relationship, two would be lovers have to communicate. The quality of the intercourse is more important than the quantity. The approach one has in framing his thoughts and intentions together with the content in questions they pose and extent of information disclosure have a bearing on the flourishing of a relationship. In the ‘Why Relationships Fail’ by Toor, (2013) there is a characterization of communication practiced in doomed relationships into superficial and lacking. The former stands for conversations not inclined to issues involving your partner while the latter is total lack of meaningful issues that lead to thwidening of the distance. Good listening skills would empower an individual with the ability to discern between noise and objective messages. Nurturing of an ongoing association is through dialogue as a pillar. Some of these factors gain prominence due to influence from a cultural background and may be difficult to shake off. Conversing should be equally devoid of interruptions as a precursor to grasping relevant stimuli and application of cognitive listening practices (Greenberg et al. 2007). Critical messages should undergo evaluation regarding reliability, comprehensiveness and their worth. They may mostly occur during venting out of feelings.

Dr Phil, (2002) has great sex as a myth that fuels the stability of a relationship, and it is important to note that communication of sexual expectations is crucial in achieving satisfaction. Culture and gender influence sexual disclosures, which offer advantages in a relationship yet no time seems right to do it. To navigate through this challenge emphasis should be on stressing on points like ‘I’ while expressing personal feelings and use of respectful messaging yields good response and satisfaction. Depending on whether society is, conservative or liberal non-verbal means should result in discernible information.
A romantic couple in a relationship should ever strive to convey messages that appreciate the partner’s physical attractiveness, identifies them as the ideal mate, and without discrepancy on how the male conceives the real and virtual states. The framing of messages, this way, would make the partners comfortable around one another and would initiate to physical, sexual communication like touching, kissing, caressing and actual sex as stressed on by Dr Phil. The initiation has to be strategic to elicit a positive response with synchrony playing a major role in patterns and men tend to do most of it. Nonverbal and verbal modes of initiation cover 91% and 65% respectively (Vanier & Sullivan 2011).
According to Greenberg et al. (2007) attainment of effective communication is through nonverbal means by methods like body language, expressions and gestures though they easily suffer misinterpretation, and it is easier to decipher negative aspects than positive messages. Expected challenges include lack of communication, and listening skills together with the framing of references through experiences and bypassing. Miscommunication due to non-verbal methods needs seeking of clarification verbally. To know whether my communication is achieving its intended purpose then I have to be keen on the kind of feedback I receive from my partner.
Leading by example finds use in management at the workplace, and so as a manager, I would be open in employing the nonverbal techniques in offering direction to employees. Designing of messages meant to sensitize on a particular policy would put into consideration the quality of words used to achieve maximum impact. Appreciation of good work done by staff would serve as encouragement since they would feel appreciated. Inquiring for feedback would also confer the benefit of knowing whether the communication worked. Clients should be in the loop on the importance of the feedback they give. Courtesy would accompany service through accompanying body languages like a smile or use expressions that depict gladness, honor and respect. Use of ‘I’ statements would lead to the effortless adoption of the same strategy by the clients. Men fear rejection hence the expected unease when initiating sexual topics with clients. To combat this, I should learn talk openly on subjects about my life transparently. To acquire skills nurturing relationships with men would help fight the stigma when dealing with women. Initial actions would mean neutralizing the impact of the sexual innuendos like making an audience shout the words in unison. It would also call for prior planning, flooding, being assertive and instilling active listening.
References
Dr. Phil. (2002). Ten Relationship Myths. Retrieved from: https://www.drphil.com/advice/ten-relationship-myths/Greenberg, S.J., Bruess, E.C., & Conklin, C.S. (2007). Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality. Paperback, 3, 1-885.
Toor, S. (2013). Why do Relationships Fail? Retrieved from: http://www.tfcknoxville.com/psychology-blog/why-do-relationships-failVannier, A.S., & Sullivan, O.F.L. (2011). Communicating Interest in Sex: Verbal and Nonverbal Initiation of Sexual Activity in Young Adults’ Romantic Dating Relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 961.