11 Effective Communication Exercises For Couples
indrani karmakarBA Hons Experience: 2.5 yearsIndrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduatin... more
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Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, and when it comes to couples, you need to keep your connection strong always. While there is a talkative soul for every excellent listener, there are times when we run out of words or lose interest in listening. Such things can emerge as cracks in a relationship. Here are some practiacal communication exercises for couples to improve their interaction and build a stronger bond for themselves. Read on to know them all.
1. Fireside Chat
Couples mostly talk when they have to solve something between themselves. It constantly triggers your mind that something is wrong when you hear the words, ‘honey, we need to talk’. Having a fireside chat will help you ease the tension and make it an easy-going exercise to talk about the day or the present scenario where you just enjoy the moment together.
2. Reframe What You Say
Many times, we end up quarreling the moment we express ourselves. It is because we spill what’s in our hearts without thinking how it will affect our partner. The idea is to improve your communication and not make it worse due to our figure of speech. Make sure you stay calm and analyze your speech before you say it.
3. Take Turns To Talk
Naturally, no one can always be on the talking end or the listening end. So it’s always better to do it in turns so you can hear your partner and have your chance to make your point.
4. Discuss Future Plans
Your partner is also your best friend who would support you in your dreams and goals. Be it a short-term goal like getting fit or a long-term goal of learning a language, you must tell your partner about it and hear what they have to say about it.
5. Share Songs
Your choice of songs defines the person you are. The best way to understand a person is to look at their playlist. If your partner does not have the same taste in song as you, it’s always a good idea to share links to songs to help you know them better.
6. Eye Contact
Only couples will tell you how vital eye contact can be. A simple glance can exchange up to hundreds of words. Sometimes, rather than forcing a conversation, simply hold hands and enjoy the sunset or view together without a word. It will only bring peace to your relationship.
7. Write Notes
It’s not just about verbal communication. You can put out cute notes like a reminder, tell your partner that you love them, a funny joke, or even a simple miss you work. Sometimes writing it all down in the form of letters and short notes also helps to let your partner know that you love them.
8. Practice Active Listening
The age-long problem couples face is both want to speak, and no one wants to listen. If you have a talkative partner, it’s natural that at some point, you will zone out and either agree without listening or disagree without being sure how you will carry the conversation forward. Active listening is when you listen to your partner with the sole intention of understanding their perspective.
9. Use “I” Statements
Putting yourself accountable for something gives much weightage to a conversation. For example, instead of saying, “you make me look stupid when you tell me what to do”, say, “I feel stupid when you tell me how to do things”. This way, you will be able to address the issue without any of you getting defensive about it.
10. Focus On Being Kind
Just because you are having a conversation does not mean you have to prove your superiority and get rude. You need to keep calm and hold back from saying anything that might hurt your partner. Be kind and understanding and understand that everyone is fighting their own battles that you don’t know of.
11. Share Your Stories
Sharing stories is an essential part of strengthening your bond. As a couple, you mostly experience everything together, but there must be something interesting that you have been a part of and your partner has no idea about. It could be a childhood story or something from your workplace. Throw in the details and make it a routine of sharing your part of the world with your partner in a creative way.
Communication is essential to every kind of relationship, and we need to make ourselves heard to have a strong bond. It is not possible to express yourself with words constantly, and that is when your connection comes to work. Sometimes even holding hands and not saying anything makes a relationship work like no other. So do you have any favorite method of communication with your partner? Let us know in the comments below.
