5 Ways To Increase Family Communication

Having effective communication is essential to having a happy family. The authors of 365 Ways to Help Your Children Grow compare a family to a building and good communication is the foundation of that building. When the foundation is strong the building or family can weather any storm. Good communication within a family ensures that “problems get solved, ideas get heard, feelings are expressed and intimacy grows.” These are all things that every family wants to experience. But developing and using good communication is not always easy. The Search Institute reports that only “30% of middle and high school students report having positive family communication.” So here are five ways that you can use for
improving family communication.

Create time for talking. Talking doesn’t always happen unless we make time
for it. So create times for talking within your family. Turn off the television and play some games. Or talk instead of playing music in the car. Try shooting some hoops with your son
to initiate a conversation. You could eat a family meal together.

Listen to more than the words. Sometimes it is difficult to put how you are feeling into words. So pay attention to what your child is saying through their body language, tone, and other actions. MVParents suggests family members “try to understand the feelings behind the words, not just the words themselves.”

Get eyeball to eyeball. Looking someone directly in the eye when speaking to him or her sends the message that what they have to say is important. It also ensures that you are actually hearing the conversation instead of paying more attention to something else.

Think before speaking. When your child wants your opinion or needs your help with a problem. Tell them that you need a few minutes to think about the issue and ask them to think about it as well. Then you can come together and both share your solutions. Also when faced with a tough conversation think about what you are going to say before you say it. Decide how you are going to approach the situation and answers to questions that might come up.

Be approachable. According to MVParents, “If kids think they’ll get a lecture or be judged every time they bring up an idea or a personal experience, they’ll shut down.” This is how my dad often approached conversations as a result we took our problems to our mom who listened without judgment or lecturing. It is also important to take children’s concerns seriously. To parents the issue may seem trivial, but don’t take it lightly. Empathize and listen. If you do this with the small stuff you children are more likely to come to you with issues that are really important.

Improving family communication takes work, but the effort is worth it. Because hard times and struggles will hit every family and the family that has a strong foundation of communication will be able to weather the storms.