Friends & Family Are Sometimes The Hardest People To Talk To

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One of the funnier skits on last week’s episode of Saturday Night Live starred Leslie Jones who played Tabitha, a talk show host who has written a book called ‘The Obedient Husband’ which is supposed to give its reader tips on how to communicate with your spouse and likens it to communicating with your pet.  Tabitha shows a couple of videos where she is talking to her spouse and while husbands universally might disagree, it is a pretty funny and silly skit. 

Of course, we are not suggesting that you employ Tabitha’s tips!  But we know that communicating with friends and family can be very tricky territory so we thought it would be a good idea to explore that area of communication a bit more.

There are so many different factors when dealing with friends and family than when dealing with work colleagues or even acquaintances.  Depending on what you are discussing, emotions can run high.  Oftentimes, social or family dynamics are at play.  We may have difficulty with perceived roles like always being viewed as ‘the baby’ so what you say may not be taken seriously. 

So if you have something to say or you want to have better communication with friends and family, what should you do?  Have no fear, Shades readers, we have some tips for you that can help you in not only addressing any issues but can also assist in improving how you communicate overall! 

Be bold but not disrespectful:

If you need to discuss something, let the other party or parties know that you have something to say but don’t be rude about it.  You can assert yourself without being belligerent. 

Focus on you:

If you have an issue to discuss with someone, make sure and focus on yourself in your dialogue.  Instead of saying ‘You did this’, say ‘I felt like this’.  By employing this technique, you will sound far less accusatory. 

Be honest and sincere:

This tip is pretty self-explanatory.  You’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favours by being insincere. 

Do some emotional depositing:

Focus on some positives during the discussion.  This tactic will always help with the emotional aspect of your communication. 

Think about your non-verbal communication as well and how you can come across positively to the other person. 

Don’t make assumptions or rely on biases:

Just like you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge others or assume they will always fall into similar patterns.  Getting rid of pre-conceived notions of others will improve how you relate or interact with them. 

Shades readers, we wish you the best when it comes to communicating with those around you and don’t forget to share us on your social media channels!  \