Janette Brown,
MA, LMFT (info-link)
600
1st Ave. N.E. Seattle, WA.
98104
(206) 524-3645
Communication
Good
communication
is an art
we can learn. Our ability to tell someone we love or work with what we
feel or think, and what we want will determine how satisfying our
connection is to the person; it will also affect how that person
experience us.
Some things are easy to say, and are just as
important as challenging, difficult-to-word
expression. For
example, giving compliments or telling others what we like. There is no
comparison, being around someone who tells us good news
and someone who never does. The importance of this simple communication
cannot be underestimated in improving and maintaining healthy
relationship.
Difficult communication, things like
revealing sadness, jealousy, anger, or some other less
flattering
emotion is also important to master. It can be done without "going
negative"; and, because there is no honesty, truth or integrity without
the ability to express the bad
news, our ability to speak these things, too, is
essential. It determines the depth and feelings of trust in
any relationship.
Other things that determine our ability to be artful in
communicating our thoughts or feelings effectively depend on how we operate with
friends, family & ourselves. They include:
- Work with Self
- Self esteem: how
important we believe we are / dependent on actions of self-care
- Assertion: telling
our truth simply, without apology / key in improving self
esteem
- Re-visioning: how
well we work with ourselves when something has us 'down'
- Work with
Others
- Interdependency: balance
between needing others too much or too little
- Earnestness: ability
to be genuine in admitting to human emotion that is not ideal
- Willingness: readiness
to engage in interactions that feel 'risky' to us
"Integrity is telling
myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people." -Spencer
Johnson, motivational author