Communication Skills
Building essential speaking and listening skills
Nonviolent Communication: Getting Needs Met Without a Fight
What if there was a way to communicate without making the listener defensive, while also improving our chances of getting our needs met? I’ll bet you’d be interested—I know I was! That’s the promise of a system of talking and listening developed by Marshall Rosenberg...
Active Listening: How to Reduce Conflict and Help Your Partner Feel Heard
Nick and Lauren were at an impasse. Whenever they discussed topics they disagreed on, the conversation quickly disintegrated into an argument, each talking over the other. Their marriage counselor recommended they both invest some time into improving their listening...
Mastering Difficult Conversations: How to Talk Through What Really Matters
Tiffany and Ryan were at an impasse. Tiffany wanted them to sell their cute but small home and buy something bigger for their growing family. Ryan disagreed—to him, the higher mortgage payment just meant more financial stress and sacrificing other priorities like...
Assertive Communication: The Goldilocks of Interaction
It’s date night. You’ve organized the babysitter, booked a table, and left work early to get to the restaurant on time. Then, your partner is thirty minutes late. How do you ensure this doesn’t happen next time, without causing a huge scene and ruining the date...
How Emotions Affect Communication
It started innocently enough—but what should have been an easy conversation about our weekend plans turned into a difficult one. The resulting discussion was a good reminder of how emotions affect communication. In particular, it highlighted why it’s necessary to have...
I’m Sorry – Special Issues with a Domestic Violence Apology
An apology is something that we all like to receive but most of us find difficult to give. And, giving an apology well will help restore a relationship, while other ways can sound empty and insincere. Maybe that’s why it seems like a good, effective apology is so...