Communication is the building block of all relationships. Without clear and effective communication, many interpersonal relationships suffer because there are either personal attacks, misunderstandings, misspeaking, etc. While everyone communicates their ideas differently, there are general guidelines to help one improve their communication with others and articulate their views better. Respect is always something that should be maintained when exchanging words with another person. It’s almost impossible to go through life and not hear something that one doesn’t like. Although people can’t control the words that leave other peoples’ mouths, they do have control over how they respond.
What leads many confrontations is an emotional reaction which is the opposite of a thought-out response. In some cases, it may be necessary to stop a conversation, reevaluate the situation or simply calm down. Above all else, there are a handful of essentials for having better conversations. However, here are 2 very important keys to better conversations.
Pay Attention
Many conversations tend to go sour due to one or more people not paying close attention while each person has their turn to talk. A person may be distracted looking through their text messages or they might be elsewhere mentally. This is especially common when a person isn’t listening to the other person to speak because they are thinking about how they want to respond. In this case, that individual is more focused on outputting their views instead of being receptive to the incoming information being shared. It’s important to give each person their undivided attention when they are speaking as it’s considered quite disrespectful and inconsiderate to try doing multiple things while listening. In reality, one will likely miss some important details mentioned in the discussion and have to ask the other person to repeat themselves.
Find Common Ground
Parting a conversation on a negative note can build resentment and animosity. It will also make future conversations with that person become much more difficult to have. It’s okay to disagree as long as the disagreement is done respectfully. A major key to better communication is letting go of the expectation for the other person to understand and fully agree. Everyone is entitled to their view and opinion whether deemed right or wrong. All people conversing should challenge themselves and aim to find common ground regarding whatever was discussed. The common ground can even be agreeing to disagree. This is done to seal any dissonance within the interaction and promote future dialogue.