Communicating With Your Spouse

Tips for Communicating With Your Spouse

• If your spouse wants to communicate with you, stop what you are doing so that you can give your spouse your full attention.
• Show respect to your spouse while communicating with him/her. Never talk down to each other. Even while arguing on issues, maintain some decencies. Agree on certain things like no name calling. Showing respect to each other is very important for a successful relationship.
• Don’t rehash on the past and drag issues during arguing that have already been settled.
• An opinion is completely a personal view. Don’t argue and force your spouse to follow it. Rather agree on to agree or disagree on an opinion.
• To carry on an effective communication, it is also important to be a good listener. When your spouse is speaking, use body gestures to let your spouse know that you are truly listening. Avoid reading a newspaper or watching television when he/she is saying something important.
• If you find it difficult to bring up some complicated topics, try adding some humor to it. Adding sensible humor will ease the situation and will create an ideal environment to bring up the subject.
• Be honest and tell what you like and dislikes. This way you can find some common interest that you two can enjoy together.
• Don’t criticize your spouse if you don’t like something. Rather make him/her understand your point logically.
• Keep sarcasm and a mocking tone far from your conversation. These things can cause hurt, resentment, and make it harder to talk about important things.
• If you need clarification on what your spouse has said, ask questions politely instead of raising fingers.
• Don’t jump into conclusion before he/she finishes what he/she wants to say. Listen carefully till the end before you draw your conclusion.
• When planning for something, decide together. Don’t force your decision on your spouse. Instead consult together towards a common goal. 
• Maintain eye contact when talking to your spouse.
• When you feel distance growing, say so. There is nothing wrong with telling your spouse that you need some of his/her time. In fact, saying so will only bring you closer to each other.
• On a leisurely evening, talk about your childhood or any sweet memories that you would like to share with your spouse. This will help your spouse to know about you better and will bring each other closer.