Importance of communication in marriage
Sustaining marriage and achieving a happy family is beyond true love, honesty and trust as communication in marriage is key. How much you love your partner hardly determines the strength of your marriage. You can be honest to your partner, but unless they know you are honest to them, they will never trust you. Effective communication in marriage is key to making any marriage successful. None of those who enter in marriage often pay attention to communication until things get out of hand. Speaking out is the best way to identify a problem and responding appropriately. If partners do not communicate, the relationship will be faced with many frustrations, which will eventually lead to divorce.This article compiles important communication tips that can help to sustain a happy marriage and relationship.
Clear communication in marriage is crucial if the marriage is to last. If you do not know how to ask for what you need, you will be missing out, not necessarily because you cannot get it but because you cannot ask for it. Everybody in a relationship should be able to communicate with their partner. Effective communication in marriage leads to better understanding and increases intimacy between couples. If you love your partner, make sure that they know about it. They must understand you whenever you are not comfortable with them. Keeping quiet for fear of annoying your partner may lead to more harm than good. Being open in all issues that affect your marriage is significant. Check out the following suggestions on how to foster great communication.
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Guidelines for effective communication in marriage
There comes a point in time when couples disagree on some issues. Even so, you need to always remember the vows you made on your wedding day. In most cases, nobody wants to be the first to resolve matters. Sometimes emotions get in their way, and it becomes difficult to control it. Couples may end up not talking at all. Below are tips given on how couples can monitor the situation step by step.
1. Breaking the communication barrier
External factors that cause disagreements in a relationship should not be allowed to thrive. They should be broken as soon as they are identified. A good relationship requires openness and freedom of expression among couples. Transparency comes when you eliminate criticism and blame games. It will contribute largely towards making each partner feeling comfortable and safe. Breaking barriers in a relationship is not a one-time activity. It should happen gradual, and a positive change should be expected after some time. It is important to note that accusatory words are among critical hindrances to effective communication in marriage. Phrases like; 'I would appreciate it if', 'can you', 'I suggest', and many more of a similar nature are highly recommended when talking to your partner. The politeness will help calm them down and encourage them to listen even when they are annoyed or upset.
2. Stay in the present
Couples should always focus on the present when discussing issues. Mentioning the past events may negatively affect the present. Each one of you might have messed up in one or two occasions, and so if you remind your partner, it can bring frustrations and end up causing a communication breakdown. Just focus on your topic and stick to the present. Make sure it adds value to both of you. As you speak, be respectful and polite.
3. Listen to your partner
Listening skills are fundamental to any relationship. Listening more than you speak keeps you in a position of understanding the other person. Your partner is also likely to learn and do the same. It is wrong to insinuate or assume that you already know your partner because it will bring frustrations. It will also make him or her feel that they are not understood. It is also important to avoid thinking while listening. Always learn to listen first then find answers later.
4. Use of nonverbal signs
Nonverbal communication is as crucial as verbal communication. It involves body languages disclosing a person's position in an argument. It is significant to keep eye contact whenever you are conversing with your partner. Direct eye contact means that you are attentive and interested in the discussion. In most cases, body language indicates our position in the argument; either yes or no. The last thing you want to do is to show your disinterest in the conversation. However, it is essential to consider positive nonverbal cues to enhance good communication.
5. Be honest in your argument
Honesty is an essential virtue in a relationship. Being true to yourself and your partner in a discussion is the beginning of achieving effective communication in the relationship. When you are honest, you will always be confident to express yourself, and your partner will be honest too.
6. Good timing
Communication should not start anytime without being planned. Good communication should be done when all of you are free and ready to talk. Therefore, it is advisable to ask if they can spare some time for the conversation. The recommended time to start a critical conversion in a marriage is after having dinner or just before you go to sleep. Nevertheless, avoid starting a conversation when in bed.
7. Initiate face-to-face conversation
Text messages, emails, and phone calls are not meant for meaningful conversions. In marriage, even the less critical communications should be made face-to-face. Face to face conversations gives the clarity needed and it enhances confidentiality. If you cannot make time to talk face to face, you can postpone the discussion to a later date.
8. Do not react too fast
Most people in marriage react to fast when their partners mess up. It is natural for all human beings to respond to negative things but that should not be instant. Try as much as possible to control yourself. Sparing time to think about the situation can result in a good starting point or even a better solution. When you speak immediately, anger will control your speech, and you might mess up more.
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Purpose of communication in marriage
Communication is the best vehicle through which all activities in marriage are done. Love, honesty and other essential factors of marriage are not meaningful unless expressed to the other person. Acting honestly and trustful is where the trick is. If you can communicate what it means to be a husband or a wife, you can be assured of taking your marriage from good to great. It will make you realize why communication in marriage is essential. Importance of communication is grouped into three groups as follows: verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and physical acts.
Verbal communication
Verbal communication is a direct conversation through word of mouth. Verbal communication in marriage exercises following:
- Verbal communication allows couples to express how they feel through word of mouth. The discussion is usually face-to-face and therefore enhances effective communication.
- Verbal communication is useful in creating confidence and appreciation among partners. Every one can express their view while maintaining eye contact. The significance of eye contact is to increase confidence between the partners.
- Verbal communication enables couples to express what they may not be comfortable with. When you are not satisfied with what your husband/wife is doing, you should raise the issue and talk about it. It will help to settle the disputes.
- Verbal communication enhances freedom of speech in the relationship. Partners are free to express their view on the eye of their partner. This result in a strong bond between the partners.
Nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication plays a vital role in any relationship. When your wife or husband decides to use body language, you must be able to understand what he or she means. Here are some purposes of nonverbal communication
- Show disagreements. When your partner ignores you or fails to respond whenever you need an answer, it can directly mean that he/she is not comfortable with your suggestions. They may also change their focus or start doing other tasks while you are talking to them.
- Indicates appreciation and agreements. When your partner maintains eye contact, it means they are comfortable with the topic of discussion.
- Used nonverbal communication to express love, trust, and honesty.
- Complementation. Nonverbal communication assist in emphasizing agreements or disagreements.
For effective communication in marriage, positive nonverbal communication elements should be enhanced. They will help to create a positive environment within which issued are solved. Sometimes, misunderstanding happens when your partner read the wrong nonverbal cue and react negatively. You should, therefore, be conscious to avoid using wrong impressions.
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Physical actions
They say action speaks louder than words and I tend to agree with it. Love, honesty, and care cannot have an impact if you do not show them. It is boring when you keep saying that I love you yet you are not reflecting your words in your deeds. Below are few significant shows of physical actions in marriage.
- Physical activities bring more love and trust.
You can sing I love you to your husband until your face turns blue, but it will not make sense to him if that is all you keep doing. Preparing dinner or washing clothes for him is enough to tell him that you love him. Similarly, calling your wife honey will not bring the real flavor to her mouth until you do it in action. Going to the market on her behalf or washing utensils for her might resonate more quickly and understand that you love her.
- Physical activities enhance cooperation in marriage
Taking responsibilities in relationship help to promote cooperation and understanding. It is essential to ensure that you take all responsibilities in marriage. In a good marriage, the husband can wash the house or prepare dinner. Likewise, a wife can be the breadwinner, drive the family and so on.
How to enhance communication in marriage
Communication is the single most crucial aspect that can either build or break a relationship. Couples who communicate openly in marriage have successful and fulfilled marriages. Sometimes marriage is faced with challenges or personal disagreements that require communication. Here are some of the communication tips that help to enhance a strong marriage. You need to stick to them if you already understand why communication in marriage is important.
1. Develop listening skills
One big problem that faces most couples in a relationship is poor listening skills. More frequently, when couples engage in a conversation, one might be absent-minded. That will eventually affect their overall contribution to the discussion. To avoid such instances, you should learn how to listen. When you listen to your partner, you demonstrate love and respect without saying the words I love you. Good Listening skills help in improving communication in a marriage that consequently leads to a healthy marriage.
2. Avoid criticism
For a strong relationship to be achieved there should be low or no criticism. Criticism can be shown through verbal communication or nonverbal communication. Body language is critical in ensuring that you convey the right message to your partner. Your nonverbal cues represent your opinions and therefore directly affect the marriage. For effective communication, it is recommended to listen to your verbal and nonverbal communication and edit all the critics to avoid all instances of misunderstanding.
3. Be compassionate
It is more fruitful to express your concerns to your partner with gentleness and respect. This will increases the chances of your partner considering the argument as positive. It is also significant to avoid blames during a conversation and maintain a balanced, gentle tone.
4. Stay calm
It is essential for couples to stay calm in case of a problem. Calmness can help to identify the actual problem that you are facing in your relationship. Identifying the root of the problem will create a more natural way to solve it.
5. Assess your self-talk
Listening to yourself is very important when you want to know your conversation position. If you believe that people never take you seriously in everything that you say, you will notice the pattern. If your partner is never serious with your arguments, you will immediately know that they never take you seriously. To help rectify the situation, look for alternative ways to communicate.
6. Seek to understand rather than being understood
Each one of us needs to make our point understood by our partner whenever we are in an argument. If both of us approach the situation from this angle, it will not be easy to reach a common ground. It is essential to ensure that there is no communication barrier.
Effective communication is a crucial element in ensuring a healthy marriages. Partners should be able to communicate freely and feel safe to share their ideas. This is achieved when couples have learned all the essential tips to enhance communication in marriage. Taking responsibilities to prove care and love to your partner is also vital for a responsible marriage. In case of disagreements and all the tips have failed, you can try famous quotes about communication in marriage. They might bring a lasting solution to your relationship. It is also important to note that marriage is always faced with challenges. Therefore, keep familiarizing yourself with good communication skills and tips in marriage. You can as well make use of the internet and read on keys to effective communication in marriage pdf. It will help to enlighten you more on the same topic. It helps to do everything possible towards improving communication in marriage. It pays in the long run.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
