12 Tips to Improve Family Communication

Communication is the action and effect of convey ideas, thoughts or feelings from one person to another. The frequent and have a higher degree of satisfaction as:

• They are more capable of solve problems and making decisions.
• Have less stress.
• They have more personal security and self esteem.
• They extrapolate the respectful relationships and quality, also to people outside the family, which makes them more effective on a social level.
• They better regulate impulsivity and negative experiences, since they are more adept at

Styles of family communication

Communication can be defined in terms of 2 dimensions: clear or masked according to the ease or difficulty of understanding the messages between family members. On the other hand, direct or indirect that defines whether or not the person to whom you speak is the person to whom the message is intended. This results in 4 styles of communication:

• Clear and direct communication: it is the healthiest style of communication. The message is expressed clearly and directly to the appropriate family member. For example: "I am upset because you have cleared the table for us, as we agreed."

In turn, there are 2 types of communication, the instrumental what is objective information and affective which is the transmission of emotions. Some families may do well in one but not the other. The functional families they communicate well in both types.

How to achieve good communication as a family?

12 Mistakes We Make When Communicating

It is important to know what does not facilitate communication to avoid difficulties.

Specialist in Clinical Psychology:

• Clear and indirect communication- The message is clear, but not intended for the recipient. For example: "It bothers me that assigned tasks are not accomplished."
• Masked and direct communication: The content is not clear, but it is directed to the appropriate member of the family. For example: "son, no one commits to anything."
• Masked and indirect communication: When the message and the recipient are not clear. It is a unique style of unhealthy relationships. For example: "today's young people are lazy."
  • Choose the place and time suitable for conversation.
  • Practice the active listeningBe interested, pay attention, put yourself in the place of the other, convey that you understand what they are telling you and return a friendly feedback.
  • do constructive criticism.
  • Respect that others may feel or see things differently.
  • Take care of the information verbal as non-verbal.
  • Acknowledge your mistakes and eliminates unproductive feelings of guilt.
  • Avoid generating problems by trifles.
  • Offers alternatives and solutions, without mixing with things from the past.
  • Takes care the toneIt is not only important what is said but also how it is said.
  • Ask instead of commanding.
  • Take time for conversation.
  • Ponder to later draw conclusions.
  • Overgeneralize.
  • Thinking that your own opinion is the only valid one.
  • Anticipate the result.
  • To think that the other is not right before it is explained.
  • Think from the past.
  • Disqualification, undervaluation and losing basic rules of courtesy.
  • Inflexible repetition of the same arguments that make agreements impossible.
  • The constant criticism and reproach.
  • Escalations of power.
  • Interruptions, yelling, aggressive gestures or looks or silence when something bothers us.
  • Lack of eye contact.
  • Talk things hot.
  • Families with open and frequent communication can solve problems more effectively, regulate impulsivity and negative experiences more, make better decisions and have more self-esteem ...
  • Be flexible, make constructive criticism, know how to put yourself in the place of the other, take care of your tone, try to reach agreements ... these are attitudes that make up effective communication.