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9 Ways to Improve Communication in Relationships

man and woman holding hand

9 Ways to Improve Communication in Relationships

 

Communication in relationships plays a significant role in ensuring a happy and healthy relationship. For better communication in your relationship, you should learn how to listen more and talk less. The need to improve communication skills in a relationship can be overwhelming. The tips below can help improve connection through better communication.

The importance of communication in relationships cannot be underestimated. As you may know or have experienced, real connections are lost if there is no communication in relationships. However, what does healthy communication look like? How can you ensure that you communicate effectively in your relationship? Similarly, how can you improve communication if you are in a romantic relationship with someone you just met on Dating Ranking? Below are some tips on improving communication in relationships.

1. Identify Your Communication Styles

Before focusing on improving communication in relationships, it is important to understand that not everyone shares the same communication preferences. While some people like talking, others prefer touching or are more visual. Most communication issues in relationships occur if partners fail to understand each other’s style.

Effective communication in a relationship can be realized once you acknowledge this. For instance, you might want to convey some information, but you should know how to pass the information. Slight miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings and frustrations.

2. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Communication in a relationship isn’t just about informing each other about the days’ activities, what you had for lunch or dinner. You should leverage proper communication to dig deep and understand your partner well. However, this can be challenging, especially for those who aren’t used to discussing their feelings openly.

Fortunately, you can ask open-ended questions to avoid pressuring your partner. Asking open-ended questions instead of yes/no questions allows your partner to share any additional information about the question. Note that not everybody opens up quickly. Therefore, be patient with your partner as they break boundaries around their emotions.

Fortunately, you have several opportunities to ask these questions. For instance, you can ask them randomly when playing games at home, on date nights, picnics, or road trips.

3. Be Open and Honest

Dishonesty is among the top communication barriers in relationships. Since your share your heart desires with your partner, you shouldn’t be afraid of making your feelings and needs clear. While retreating and avoiding conflicts may seem safe and quite comfortable, it is not a good substitute for trust and won’t help you improve your communication.

Walking away or avoiding an argument is a temporary solution that should be done to achieve a brief cool-down period. If you avoid conflicts by not being open and honest, you will end up burying your emotions, which weakens your relationship.

4. Note the Non-Verbal Signs

Communication, either with friends or relationship partners, is more of how people say and not what they say. Non-verbal communication, such as tone of voice, eye contact, and body posture, communicates a lot. To communicate better, you should learn how to read these signs when conversing. Some non-verbal signs include:

  • Folded arms may indicate that the person is closed off or defensive
  • Avoiding eye contact implies that the person is not interested or ashamed of the topic of discussion
  • A loud and aggressive tone means that the person is becoming emotionally involved
  • Turning away from your position shows that the person isn’t interested

5. Be Present in the Conversation

Being present in time is an important aspect to improve communication in relationships and other encounters. When discussing issues with your partner, drop other engagements and dedicate your full attention to the conversation. This makes them feel that they have all your attention and number one priority. While it can be difficult to be fully present and mindful when angry or stressed, this shouldn’t be an excuse for poor communication in relationships.

6. Avoid Negative Patterns

If you truly understand your partner’s needs and preferred communication styles, anything that doesn’t align with their expectations might be a negative pattern. When conversing with your partner, be mindful of your pitch, volume, pace, and timbre. For instance, a highly pitched voice sounds defensive. A sentence ending in a high pitch also makes it sound like a question. Therefore, make a conscious effort to moderate these aspects of voice.

7. Listen Carefully

Most people think they are listening when talking with their partners. However, in reality, they are thinking about their next statements, especially when in an argument. Effective communication in a relationship cuts both ways. While it can be challenging, try to listen to your partners’ thoughts without interrupting or acting defensive. Hear them out and reflect back before you start speaking.

8. Take a Time Out

In some situations, heated tempers may make it difficult to continue with the discussion without escalating to an argument or fight. If you note that your partner is becoming angry or showing destructive patterns, consider taking a break to calm down. The break can mean a walk or stroll in your backyard before resuming the conversation some minutes or hours later. Good communication in a relationship also involves knowing when to take such breaks.

couple at sunset

9. Ask for Help

Seeking external help is another good way of improving communication in relationships. If you find that you can’t stay respectful and constructive when handling a conflict, you can benefit from sessions with a relationship therapist. Family therapy can help you adopt new ways of resolving future conflicts and tips for better communication in relationships.

Bottom Line

Lack of communication in relationships can negatively affect your relationship. Unfortunately, most couples focus on the talking aspect of their relationship. Note that actions, too, speak loudly. Communicating with your significant other regularly through various means reminds the person of their importance in your life. While nobody is a perfect communicator, you can become a better communicator by trying these tips.

Which other hacks can improve communication in relationships? Please share them below.

How to achieve the above steps fast and easy.

Buy a copy of the Couples Intimacy game and you achieve most of the above in a done-for-you format that’s fun to play and opens up conversations that lead to improving your relationship. The key focus is on encouraging ‘Real Life Conversation’ questions and there is a mixture of trivia for ice-breakers, personal questions, relationship questions and physical intimacy topics that are all designed to get a couple talking, sharing and learning about each other. 

So there you have it! These are some of the best ways to improve communication in relationships and if it’s a couples game you are after to help get it started, then go grab a copy of our How Game Are You?™ Intimacy Edition game to help take your conversations and fun to a whole new level. View full details here or Buy Now for quick delivery direct or through Amazon (US), or Amazon (AU).

 

Authors bio:

Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or financial skills. 

Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, healthy relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years.

With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn’t only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.

Communication Games For Couples

Communication Games For Couples

Communication Games For Couples

One of the biggest reasons for relationship issues is reduced understanding through lack of meaningful discussions, so playing communication games for couples is a great way to start rebuilding. Often women complain of not getting enough listening to their worries, while men will complain of being tired of listening to them. With such clashes, the ego is bound to create a wall, and eventually, both will choose to stay silent and drag the relationship down.

Indeed in the beginning of a relationship everything the other person says is interesting, and through listening, empathy, learning and sharing the connection grows stronger. As time goes on familiarity can settle in and interest is less. If one person shuts down the other will feel it. Tougher issues like budgeting and family challenges need trust and careful discussion, so if bad habits have crept in critical decisions may be compromised.

Effective communication for couples can mean the difference between a long lasting happy union with minimal stress and one that is tumultuous, toxic, and destined to end. So, to encourage a healthy discussion and communication in a relationship, we have compiled some of the most effective, communication games for couples. With these communication exercises, also with a hint of fun, you can slowly bridge the communication gap in your relationship. Start in fun easy ways and with more intent over time you’ll become the A Class example of a couple that communicates well, and you’ll be individually happier as well.

If the relationship has become so turbulent that simple games can’t be played, you might want to look at books like ‘Crucial Conversations’ and learn how to create a safe place for discussions. Pick the right time, make sure it can’t be misunderstood as a setup to get your own point across, and be prepared to bite your tongue and listen until the other person is finished talking and without judgement, so they can be heard. Once respect is regained, rebuilding can start and you can come back to games ideas like below to start easy.

Communication exercises for couples

Music Lyrics.

This activity utilizes music and song for self-expression. Each partner chooses their three songs that they can relate to and then shares the lyrics with their partner. This activity is meant to prompt conversation about why songs are meaningful, the types of feelings that are evoked, and reasons why a particular song was selected.

Future Goals.

This activity assists a couple in identifying and communicating future goals and desires with each other. Couples are encouraged to consider and discuss short-term and long-term goals in an effort to understand what each partner needs in order to be happy and satisfied within the relationship.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall.

This communication exercise helps couples to practice verbal communication and active listening skills. A partner is asked to tell a detailed story for five minutes, upon which their partner is asked to reflect back what they heard.

The partner reflecting is tested on their ability to employ active listening strategies, to assess their level of understanding, and to determine accuracy in mirroring back what was said. Perhaps even tie in a reward like going to the movies, when you think you got to the point where as a couple you were quite proficient in the exercise.

Communication games for couples

 

Truth or Dare.

This game uses questions as facts and challenges. Be the first player to get rid of all Truth or Dare cards in your hand. Answer pop culture trivia questions correctly in order to force your opponent to tell the truth. If you answer the question incorrectly, you will be subjected to an outrageous dare. To win the game, you might have to lick another player’s arm, run around the block howling like a coyote, or stand on your head? Play Truth or Dare to find out how far you will go to win!

 

Never Have I Ever.

Questions here are designed to tease out information you might not normally share or have considered e.g “Never Have I Ever .. put gum under a table” and the respondent has to admit yes or no. Often it’s incorporated as a drinking game too. The questions adds a degree of challenge and discovery between the players, but it can also be a bit confronting so it must be played by open-minded and sometimes thick-skinned people.

 

How Game Are You? Couples Intimacy Edition.

This game does most of the thinking and planning for you, and offers a range of questions to get communication started. While it is fun, the key focus is on encouraging ‘Real Life Conversation’ questions.

There is a mixture of trivia for ice-breakers, personal questions, relationship questions and physical intimacy topics that are all designed to get a couple talking, sharing and learning about each other. The game asks the questions so no one feels like they’re being grilled and questions range from very light to quite deep.

So there you have it! These are some of the best and most powerful exercises and communication games for couples. If it’s a couples game you are after, then go grab a copy of our How Game Are You?™ Intimacy Edition game to help take your conversations and fun to a whole new level. View full details here or Buy Now for quick delivery direct or through Amazon (US) and Amazon (AU).