Relationships: Relationship Building & Management

Effective Communication Tips For Couples

Dr. Linda Miles, our official Marriage & Family Therapist Expert

Here are some ways to tell your partner the truth with love:

When you discuss issues with your partner, be genuine and be present. Don't let your mind wander. Maintain eye contact. If you are upset, empathize with how she or he feels. Use "soft eyes" to convey the idea that you're on their side. If either of you tends to change the subject rather then deal with it, create an agenda of issues to discuss as a reminder to stay on task. If you disagree with that your partner is saying, wait your turn. Don't interrupt. When it's your turn, instead of saying,"You're wrong," try, "I see things differently."

If your partner is not forthcoming about an issue, ask what's wrong in a way that doesn't invite a yes or no answer. Ask, for example, "What's troubling you?" rather than, "Is something troubling you?" When a problem has been identified, don't offer a solution. Ask, "What will you have to do to fix it?" or, "What can you do about it?" or, "What's in store for you?" If you partner responds, "I don't know," ask, "What information will you require in order to know? or, "What do you know about it so far? or, "How can you find out more about it?" Other helpful questions might be; "How can I help you?" or, "If the same thing happened again, what would you do?" or, "If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?"

Read Linda's entire article 10 Effective Communication Tips For Couples

Business Relationships: Don't Burn Bridges

Guest Blog from Tracey Jones, President of Tremendous Life Books.

In business relationships, don’t burn bridges.  

Let’s think about that analogy. A bridge is a pathway that leads us over an obstacle, right?  Sometimes, once we’ve gotten our use from the path—a relationship—especially if we weren’t particularly fond of it, we burn it. We think we’ll never need it again, use it again, want it again…and we destroy it. And not just with a hammer or saw, we do irrepreable damage. We turn it to ashes. 

But is this wise? What if we forgot our wallet on the other side? What if someone we love needs the bridge later?   

My dog, Mr. Blue, taught me about this principle.  He grew up supping at the knee of many great speakers and trainers, like Ken Blanchard and Zig Ziglar. They were his grandpaw’s pals. 

Blue says,“If you leave a playground because you have found another opportunity or the lead dogs have asked you to go, keep it professional. Don’t bark anything that you haven’t previously brought to the other’s attention. That’s just puppyish and not reflective of the big dog that you are. Definitely keep it above the collar. You never know when you might get called back to play or have a potential chum contact a previous one, to see if you’re worthy of his consideration.  Barking trash about anyone is a poor way to make an exit.”  

Relationships are everything in business. Don’t burn the path that you or someone you care about may desperately need again someday. Building your network is not done overnight, but destroying it can be. Read more from Blue here. 

 

The Measure of a Man

Dr. Neill, Our official Functioning Alcoholic Expert says:

Most men in the 40 to 55 age range will experience a period of emotional difficulty at some point. A minority will reach that point before 40 or after 55.

Read Dr. Neill's entire article The Measure of a Man