Are there communication styles in marriage? What are the keys to good communication? According to research on what makes a marriage work, happy and healthy couples have a positive-to-negative behavior ratio in their relationship.
This means that there are five times as many positive interactions between happy couples (i.e., listening, validating the other person, using soft words, expressing appreciation, affirmation, physical affection, compliments, etc.) as negative interactions (i.e., raising one’s voice, stating a complaint, or expressing one’s anger).
Communication is an essential component of any relationship, especially romantic connections. The success of your relationship is defined by how well you communicate your wants and actively listen to the needs of your spouse.
Effective Communication Styles in Marriage – 7 Key Styles
Ineffective communication patterns frequently lead to conflict and misunderstandings because your demands go unsatisfied if you lack the necessary abilities.
When either partner is unable to identify and articulate their thoughts or needs, the possibility of resolution is lost. This is what is tearing up the relationship.
Effective communication styles in marriage are a combination of abilities and tactics that each person must learn and execute on a consistent basis. These abilities will rescue your relationship from hours of misunderstandings, disputes, and strife.
There are a lot of effective communication styles in marriages. But for the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on the 7 key effective communication styles, and they include:
1. Active Listening
Active listening is a method of listening to and responding to another person that promotes mutual understanding.
It is a critical first step toward defusing the issue and finding solutions. This lesson allows students to define active listening and why it is crucial in dispute resolution.
Active listening involves the listener providing input to grasp better and clarify what their partner is saying. In essence, the listener is affirming what their spouse is expressing and assisting the speaker in feeling understood, close, and connected.
Listening improves relationships by demonstrating awareness, concern, and respect. However, listening is more than just hearing.
To properly listen, you must give your full attention and set aside your agenda and desires. Being able to talk without interruption is a liberating experience for many people.
Four Ways To Practice Active Listening
Listening skills can be developed, but it requires time and effort. Strong listening skills can help you improve networking, land a new client, or interact with your family more effectively. Here are a few examples of successful listening styles.
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Paying Close Attention
Deep listening happens when you are dedicated to comprehending the speaker’s point of view. It entails observing verbal and nonverbal signs, such as the words spoken, the speaker’s body language, and tone. This type of listening fosters trust and connection and makes others feel at ease expressing their views and opinions.
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Complete Listening
Full listening entails paying full attention to what the speaker is saying. It frequently requires active listening strategies, such as paraphrasing what the person you’re conversing with has said to ensure you get their message. Full listening is beneficial in the classroom, when receiving instructions on performing a task, and when discussing work projects with superiors.
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Listening With Care
Critical listening is applying systematic reasoning and deliberate thought to examine a speaker’s message and distinguish between fact and opinion. Critical listening is frequently effective in situations when speakers may have an objective or aim in mind, such as when watching political discussions or when a salesperson is pushing a product or service.
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Listening For Healing
Allowing a friend, colleague, or family member to communicate their concerns is an example of therapeutic listening. It entails stressing and using supportive nonverbal signs such as nodding and maintaining eye contact and empathizing with their circumstances. This helps promote effective communication styles in marriages.
2. Speak Clearly And Concisely
The process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data so that the message is received and comprehended with clarity and purpose is known as effective communication. Both the sender and the receiver are satisfied when we communicate successfully.
Using words to convey information is known as verbal communication and covers both written and oral communication.
Oral communication skills imply the ability to talk effectively and without ambiguity. This is crucial even if your job does not need you to communicate.
What does effective marriage communication look like? Couples in a great relationship chat freely and honestly and feel safe revealing their most private thoughts.
When things are going well, they comfortably and considerately express their concerns and feelings; when things are going well, they express their optimistic thoughts.
Speaking clearly also means being specific about what you are talking about without ambiguity. Don’t beat about the bush, be specific and direct. Speaking clearly helps promote effective communication styles in marriages.
3. Seek Clarification
When you ask for clarification, you ask them to say something differently or provide more information so that you can better understand them.
Seeking understanding enables relationship investments by allowing both parties to delve as deeply as they need to to discover the “whys” behind every issue and action.
4. Feelings Should Be Validated
To affirm someone’s sentiments, you must first be receptive and curious about their feelings.
The next step is to comprehend them, and the final step is to nurture them. Validation does not imply that you must agree with or understand the other person’s experience.
Validating sentiments and communicating that your spouse has been heard will help your connection’s transparency and honesty. This will keep your partner from closing down or feeling ignored.
Emotional validation builds honesty and trust, making us feel safe and secure in our connection. We assist them in handling hard times.
Validating our partner’s sentiments gives them the impression that we are paying attention and caring about them. Everyone needs to believe they have a voice.
5. Constructively Express Unpleasant Emotions
Fear, grief, and rage are all natural human emotions, and we often struggle to cope with them successfully.
It can be tempting to act on your feelings immediately, but this rarely resolves the underlying issue. It may cause additional issues in the future.
There will be occasions when you feel bitterness, resentment, disappointment, or disdain. These emotions must be shared for change to occur. However, how you articulate your thoughts is essential. Knowing how and when to express negative emotions is an effective communication style in marriage.
6. Make An Effort To Spend Time Together
Two researchers from the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Population Center discovered that married couples in the United States are happier and more fulfilled when they are together rather than apart, highlighting the value of spending time with a spouse for individual well-being.
Couples usually spend little time communicating meaningfully throughout the week. Turn off the devices and make it a point to spend at least 30 minutes a day getting closer to each other to change this.
Making efforts to spend time together is an effective communication style in marriage.
7. Make Use Of “We” Statements
We-talk” is a sign of interdependence, which means that partners influence one another’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This represents a shift from self-centered to relationship-focused thinking.
The “we” instinct can be a good sign early in a relationship since it demonstrates that each individual is thinking about the other and broadening their social circle to include the person in a combined experience.
A person curled up snugly in that committed couple’s existence will likely start referring to you as a “we,” even if you’re not entirely official yet.
This is particularly evident when they are speaking to persons who are important to them. Using the We Statements is an effective communication style in marriages today.
Results Of Effective Communication Styles In Marriage
Any healthy partnership requires effective communication skills. It is just as vital to recognize poor communication as it is to use excellent communication skills.
Marriage communication is like a river. It’s entertaining, feels good, and helps everyone around when thoughts and sentiments flow effortlessly between marital partners.
When communication flow is turbulent, it can be harmful and destructive. When communication is obstructed, pressure develops.
Some of the results of effective communication styles in marriages include:
- Building Trust
- Promoting Empathy
- Increases Desire
- Promotes Intimacy
- Team Work and Productivity
- Helps Checkmate Conflict
Conclusion
Whether you want to talk about something minor or something tragic, these skills and styles can help you get your point across. All social ties and bonds are formed through communication, but strong communication skills can differentiate between healthy and toxic relationships.
As you and your spouse continue to practice these Styles and skills, it will become simpler to assess your wants and meet your partner’s needs. A healthy relationship necessitates healthy communication.