6 keys to improve your communication in personal relationships

If you are interested in improving your communication skills, these key ideas can help you.

Many of the aspects of life that can bring us well-being and happiness involve knowing how to connect with other people, whether in formal relationships (negotiations, job interviews...) or informal ones (making friends, spending time with family...). The idea that everyone can pursue happiness "on their own" and without taking others into account is very simplistic, if not outright misleading.

However, people who experience problems in their day-to-day personal relationships do not have to resign themselves to this. There are several things we can do to enrich our social life and make it more satisfying, and among them, improving our communication skills is one of the most useful.

Based on this idea, here we will review the most important key ideas to improve your the most important key ideas to improve your communication in personal relationships of all kinds: at work, in relationships with your partner, when making friends, etc.At work, in couple relationships, when making friends, etc.

Key ideas to improve your communication in day-to-day relationships.

Communicating well involves mastering a whole series of complex skills ranging from muscular coordination when speaking to the structuring of coherent sentences, as well as the ability to empathize and take into account what the interlocutor knows and does not know. This is why it is not easy to make progress in these kinds of skills if we do not move from theory to practice.

However, these key ideas and strategies can help you make significant progress in a sustained way without frustrating you in unnecessary ways.

1. It is very important to look into the eyes

A good part of the non-verbal communication is reflected in the way you use your gaze.. If you speak without looking into the eyes, you will not only be expressing insecurity or even lack of honesty; it will also make your interlocutor feel less comfortable with the conversation, so that both of you will do your part to end it as soon as possible by mutually reinforcing this attitude in the other.

Now then, don't become obsessed with keeping your gaze "locked" on the other person's pupils.. Just try not to look away from the other person's face for several seconds at a time. If you simply direct your gaze towards their face, you will spontaneously establish eye contact.

2. Structure the ideas you want to convey in blocks

This will not only help you to gain fluency when explaining yourself, but will also help you to have in mind the structure of all the topics you want to go through. In addition, it will help the other person assimilate this information and not forget it, it will help the other person to assimilate this information and not forget it, by making it easy for them to connect some concepts with others.by making it easy for them to connect some concepts with others.

3. It is almost always better to seek face-to-face conversations.

Many aspects of communication depend on non-verbal language, and these are lost when sending written messages by letter, telephone or Internet.

Therefore, you should keep in mind that wherever you are looking to establish a connection with someone on an emotional levelwhether to seek the other person's complicity or to try to persuade them, it is much better to talk things over face to face. For example, if you want to ask for a favor and you do it by writing an email, the chances that you will be able to convince your interlocutor will be much lower than if you talk to him/her in person.

4. Practice active listening

The moments when you are not talking are also important. Even if it is not your turn to talk while the other person is talking, give signs that you are paying attention by applying what is known as "active listening"..

Let him see in the expressions on your face the way you are reacting to what he is saying, and let him notice that you are following the thread with small comments that you can leave here and there, without making them so long that they constitute a way of interrupting him.

5. Always keep in mind the ideas you need to communicate without leaving it for another time.

Maintaining a good level of assertiveness is key to improving communication; this consists of expressing what is important that you believe deserves to be said, although adjusting it to what you know about your interlocutor's values, interests and expectations, and even if you know that some of the things you will say may cause him/her pain: if it is important that you know them, do not leave it for "tomorrow" in order to avoid going through the Pain in the present.

To avoid falling into temptation, set yourself concrete goals in this sense: "I will tell you before the end of today". In this way, you will also be able to better plan how to adjust your message from an empathetic point of view, without letting the problems accumulate due to the passage of time and having to end up saying it in the worst possible context.

6. Keep in mind that the context modifies meanings

It is not the same to "tease" someone as a joke at a party as it is to do it during a selection process in which you are both candidates.

The context in which you are in makes the interpretation of what you say change, even though the literal message, taken word for word, is the same.even though the literal message, taken word for word, is the same. This is because our way of interpreting what others say is linked to the expectations of the moment. No message is delivered and captured in a vacuum; the environment is always part of the communication process. So get used to taking it into account so as not to give rise to misunderstandings.

Looking for psychotherapy services?

Communication skills can be enhanced through the personalized treatment provided by professional psychological assistance. In fact, these kinds of "training" programs in communication skills tend to be one of the most frequent elements in the day-to-day work of psychologists, both in patient-centered therapy and in family and couple therapy. It is not necessary to have developed a psychological or psychiatric disorder to go to a psychologist to improve in this aspect.

So, if you are considering professional psychological assistance or starting a psychotherapy process, please contact us.

At Avance Psychologists we work with people of all ages through our child and adult therapy services, and we also offer family therapy, couple therapy, coaching and psychiatric and neuropsychological assistance. You can visit us at our psychology center located in Madrid or opt for our online therapy by video call.