Masking Poor Communication - Essay Example

Masking Poor Communication Masking Poor Communication After reading “Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication”, I found myself agreeing to the information presented in the article. I found it very relevant in the way I communicate with my husband. I was able to relate with the problems of miscommunication discussed in the article. I realize how sometimes I just assumed that he understood me because of the length of time we have been together, thinking, he knows me well enough.

Often, due to this assumption, we end up misunderstanding each other. I remember the time when I told my husband that it would be nice to go on a vacation during the Christmas break. On my mind however, we cannot afford the vacation yet because of some bills which we still have to pay. Unfortunately, my husband thought that I was making a hint for him to plan a vacation. I assumed that he understood that it was just a thought and did not require a plan of action. On his end, he assumed that I was asking him to schedule one.

What happened is we had to go ahead with the vacation since the booking was made already but of course, I felt it was an unnecessary expense. The good thing though is that we both enjoyed our time together. But miscommunication does not always have a happy ending. Some of our miscommunication experiences are sometimes quite frustrating. To try to resolve this problem of miscommunication and to make sure that it will be minimized in the future, it is important that I do not assume that I understand or my partner understands (Thompson, n.d.).

I should confirm what I heard by repeating what the other person said. If for example, my partner told me that we will meet at the corner coffee shop at 9:00 am, I will confirm by repeating and saying, “We will meet at the corner coffee shop at 9:00 am.” The implicit rule is to double check with each other (Thompson, n.d.). Another step which I intend to adapt to improve my communication with my husband or with other people close to me is to pay more attention not only to the verbal language but also to the non-verbal signals such as the body language, eye contact or the tone of the voice (Grohol, n.d.).

However, I should also take extra precaution because non-verbal signals can easily be misinterpreted. To further improve my communication skills, I plan to adopt the steps in clear communication espoused in the website of Family Education. The article suggested that to avoid miscommunication, I have to make sure that my husband has my undivided attention (Family Education, n.d.). They went on further by saying that I should first figure out what I want to say to avoid misunderstandings. But I believe that one of the most important aspects of communication which was emphasized by the article is that of being a good listener.

Communication is not just talking; a big part of it is listening. There will never be real communication if our aim is only to say what we want to say and not be prepared to listen to the other party. It is imperative that we realize that communication is a two-way street. Works Cited Family Education. (n.d.). Ten steps to clear communication. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from familyeducation.com: http://life.familyeducation.com/marriage/relationships/45582.html Grohol, J. (n.d.). 9 Steps to better communication today.

Retrieved July 12, 2011, from psychcentral.com: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/04/14/9-steps-to-better- communication-today/ Thompson, T. (n.d.). Ten steps to better communication. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from nativeremedies.com: http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/10-steps-to-better- communication.html