When it comes to communicating amongst family members, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. How we communicate is crucial for the relationships between parent and child, spouses, siblings and so on. Here are a few ways to communicate more effectively with your family members:
Initiate conversation: If no one is talking initiate it by asking things like “How was your day?” or “Did anything interesting happen at work/school today?” It’s important to show you care about what’s going on in the lives of your family members so they will know its okay to open up and share their feelings.
Be there when someone needs to talk: One of the fastest ways to get someone to stop communicating with you is to keep putting them off when they need someone to talk to. If you are busy at the moment make sure you take time to re-approach them as soon as possible. Also make sure to let them know that if it’s an emergency you will listen immediately.
Don’t leave negative issues unresolved: When we dismiss negative issues rather than taking care of them right away we are essentially placing gas into a bottle and capping it. As we add more gas it will eventually burst by way of a terrible fight that could have been avoided. Handle issues while they are still manageable to avoid making things more troublesome than they needed to be.
Don’t lie or spread rumors amongst family members: There is a huge difference between telling Grandma Kate that you liked her stuffing when you thought it was overcooked and telling Uncle John that Maggie is a drunk because she had one drink at dinner. Manipulating family members to think ill of other family members is not only morally wrong, it can be devastating to a family unit.