eNEWSLETTER
June 2004
Our Mission Statement:
"Providing a range of innovative professional services, empowering our clients to positively address issues affecting their lives."
Welcome to Clayfield Counselling Services June eNewsletter!
Communication in Relationships
Communication in a relationship is extremely important, but not everyone is an effective communicator. However, it is a skill, which can be learned and is very important as ineffective communication can significantly hamper one's fulfillment in a relationship.
What is Communication?
Communication is the exchange of information between two people. It is also something that most of us probably take for granted believing that because it is something we do so commonly throughout our day, we are all masters of it, but it can be complicated. To communicate effectively, you need to be clear about the messages you are trying to convey so that your partner is able to receive and understand your message correctly. In turn, it is important for your partner to hear the message correctly and understand what you are trying to say.
Of course, we not only communicate verbally, but also non-verbally through our posture, tone of voice, and facial expressions. These non-verbal messages can sometimes be more revealing than our verbal messages.
Why is communication in relationships so important?
It is a natural human trait to want to communicate with our fellow beings. Indeed, it is essential to our emotional health and, consequently, physical health that we learn to talk and listen effectively.
In a study by Ohio State University, the level of communication in a marriage has been shown to be very important to a person's physical well-being. It was found that marital arguments upset women more than men and caused them to fall ill more often than their partners.
Dr Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, researcher and psychologist said that women are more physically responsive than men to interactions in marriage and pregnancy complications were higher in women who felt they received less support.
Source: "Hitched to Bliss" by Christina Larmer (The Sunday Mail - Body and Soul)
How can we improve our communication skills within our relationships?
Communication is a skill, which can be learned and, therefore, improved. Admittedly, it can be a long, hard road, but if your relationship is worth the effort, then you'll be keen to put in the hard yards.
How are we conveying our messages (verbal and non-verbal) to our partners - are we doing it effectively and honestly?
Often we don't say what we mean or we don't hear what is being said. When we look at a relationship, we need to look at what forms that relationship, what binds it, what is the common ground we share that cements us. When we've been in a relationship for some time, we may care and love the person we are with, but do we really know them? Can we read them and not put our own interpretation on what they are saying to us?
If we can't improve our communication skills alone, who can we turn to to help us?
If you can't make any progress with improving your communication skills alone, why not visit one of our professional counsellors at Clayfield Counselling Services. Our counsellors specialise in the area of relationship counselling and we would be more than happy to make an appointment for you to help.
Some interesting websites
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Until next time then...
"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said." - Peter Drucker
The editorial team at Clayfield Counselling Services