5 Ways To Effective Communication
There are times in everyone’s life where you just want to run and hide after you said something that unintentionally hurt someone’s feelings. There are a few things that you can do to prevent this from continuously happening!
Here are 5 ways to help you prevent the anger within from hurting your relationships:
#1) Have a plan
Decide in advance what you want to accomplish. If you can decide what you want to say three seconds in advance of speaking, that in itself will shape your message.
#2) Bite your tongue
Say only what you need to say and nothing more. If you ask your fifth-grader if she remembered to put her lunch in her backpack, it helps no one to say, “You’re not going to leave it home like you did yesterday, right?”
#3) Avoid the unanswerable.
Rhetorical questions like “why didn’t you pack your lunch?” will only lead to an argument. So don’t even go there.
#4) Don’t blame, abuse or punish.
These behaviors will drive a wedge between you and another person. They don’t solve problems.
#5) Fend off fights.
You must be able to step away when things get heated. Go back when both sides are calmer. I don’t think any relationship can thrive without that rule.
Perhaps you are thinking that you have already failed! Well you are in good company! It is about doing things differently as you move forward in life, so you are not contributing to triggering someone to not feel good or a reactive response back to you.
If you or someone you know would like to learn effective interpersonal communication skills, call Life Counseling Solutions to attend our Orlando Anger Management Workshop or sign up online here. You can also schedule your individual appointment with our anger management specialist at 407-622-1770 or online here.