On any given day at any given moment we are
busy. Having four children, a husband
who works one full time job and picks up part time work as he can,
homeschooling, and then being in school myself our lives are forever busy. The one thing that we need is to be able to
communicate effectively to maintain our crazy lives. Here are three hints that we use to ensure
that there is effective and clear communication within our family.
1. Be
willing to actively listen.
There is a big difference between hearing someone and really listening
to what is being said. This holds true
for reading any messages as well. If a
person in the family, making eye contact, repeating key phrases, and in general
showing respect and a desire to understand is crucial. If you are reading a note, respond in a kind
manner rephrasing key elements so that the writer knows that you understand. All of this goes into the category of
actively listening, the first crucial key to effective communication.
2. Offer feedback in the
right way. Having
young children means that there will be some squabbles. Truthfully, there will be more squabbles than
I care to mention or truly desire, but there will be squabbles
nonetheless. One of the best was to
minimize these squabbles is to try to
offer thanks for any job that is done, even if it is not done to my
satisfaction. I am sure that most people
know the old adage: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” In short using kind words that are sweetened
with love will have a better impact than using words that will cut or
hurt. This can be a difficult thing for
children to learn, but it is important for them to learn. This also holds true in the business world or
when dealing with those pesky insurance claims adjustors.
3. Give information in a
clear and concise manner. This is hard for some people to
remember. It is easy to get bogged down
in unnecessary details. When dealing
with children, and let’s be honest our spouses, simple and direct are
best. For example, if I want my children
to put their clothes away, I hand them their clothes and tell them that their
jammies go in their jammies drawer.
While I am having them put their clothes away, they know exactly what is
expected of them and where the clothes are to go. Likewise, if I need something from my amazing
husband, simple and direct is best.
After all, I haven’t met a man yet that could read my mind and know
exactly what I want without spelling it out……..maybe one day! <SIGH>
There you have it.
Three simple steps to communicating that I think are the keys to
everything. Actively listening, kindness
in giving feedback, and keeping it simple are things that I think we should all
take to heart. Now if I could just fin
three simple steps for making chores disappear all together than I would be one
happy woman!
