Tonight heard a great talk about communications, lets see if I can give some of the highlights.
First the levels of communications
- Cliché conversation (like hello, how are you today, great weather, etc)
- Reporting the facts
- Sharing my opinions (starting out with something non-threating, and watching very closely to make sure it is received OK)
- Emotional sharing – this would be sharing my feeling about something that is happening
- Transparency (this would be willing to share all areas with a spouse or personal friend who is of the same sex)
Resolving conflicts:
- Start Well – when starting with the right attitude, and with good words
- Never Belittle, I’m not to feel like I’m better than or less than the person I’m communicating with
- Listen well
- Stay Positive
- In advance don’t assume what the end results will be
And as a Pre-flight check list before starting talk
- Posture
- Perspective
- Intent
And here are some question that can be asked of your spouse on a regular basis (weekly) to make sure the marriage relationship is healthy and to build Intimacy.
- Is there anything that I need to apologize for? (ie. Have I done anything this week to hurt you?)
- Is there anything you need from me that you are not getting?
- How can I be a better spouse?