Communication is the way through which we convey our thoughts, connection and feelings to another person. Developing good communication skills is very important for developing important relationships with others like a spouse, siblings, parent- child etc. Family communication skills is something which comes only with practice and a little bit of effort.
So herein there are some of the tips that can help you to develop the communication skills of your family members to lead a healthy life. You must remember that communication is something that is not natural and it takes effort to develop it.
There are some tips listed below which are bound to help you in building strong relationships among your family members:
The first important quality that you must develop is to be a good listener. Some of the things that you can do to show that you are interested in what the other person is saying are by nodding the head, maintaining eye contact throughout the course of conversation, or by turning the body towards the person speaking.
Try to stop distractions when the other person is speaking. So if you are watching the television or reading any newspaper, discontinue it. It is rude to do this when some one is talking to you. .
Teaching children to effectively communicate is an uphill task but it is very important. The first step to teach your children is to learn what they say and try to express. This sends a message to them that their feelings are important. This action also sometimes brings double benefits as the children learn to listen to what their parents say. This is because of the good qualities which their parents possess. Parents need to act as role models so that their children pick up the good habits.
When the family is a large one with more than four people, there are ample opportunities for communication as well as conflicts also. A large family always faces the problem of balancing any mistakes. This always creates problems for both the sides involved.
So the best way to effectively communicate with each other is to recognize needs and priorities of each member. Also, the opinion of every body matters so this should also be taken into consideration.
Humor is another effective way to communicate with many people at a time. In a large family, if there is some discussion over some important problem, the chances of conflict of opinions between two groups is much higher. Thus, it is very important for the senior members of the family to create an amiable environment of discussion. This is so that ultimately all the family members agree to the decision.
Finally, the most critical element that you need to teach communication in your family members is patience. After all, family communication skills will develop only with time and practice.