Communicating Clearly

Communication within a family is very important. Not only is communicating about challenges important, it is also important to communicate on a regular basis. If couples only communicated about the problems they were having, they could create a tense relationship. Yet, if couples communicated on a regular basis-- talking about their days, their hopes, and their dreams-- they will be able to talk about problems easier because they are use to communicating with one another about normal, everyday things.

The most important thing about communication is to know how to communicate CLEARLY. My professor, Michael Williams, explained to the class how communication is broken down into three categories of mis-communication: words, tone, and non-verbal.

Verbal: Words	14%
Verbal: Tone	35%
Non-verbal	51%
	100%

Non-verbal communication is the type of communication that is often misunderstood. This type of communication can be anything. It can be body language, the way you dress, how long you look at someone, or even the timing of your laughter.

Communication can be very difficult to clearly understand. I do not like texting that often because of how often text messages can be misunderstood. They can be misunderstood because of how common sarcasm is. There are many times where I want to text a sarcastic comment back to someone, but I know they may take it as offensive when I really meant to be funny.

Spencer W. Kimball, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once said, "You need to communicate so clearly that you not only can be understood, but also so that you cannot be misunderstood." I love this. We need to learn how to communicate in a way that will will never be misunderstood. Some ways we can do this is:

1. Don't beat around the bush. Don't "walk around" your feelings-- say what you're thinking (but if it is an offensive comment, either say it kindly or don't say it at all);
2. Be an active listener. Actually listen to what someone is saying so that you can respond correctly and in an understanding way; and
3. Have "soft-startings". Don't be hostile when you lead into a conversation. Be gentle about how you approach discussing an issue or concern. 

We should learn how to communicate more clearly so that we will not have the challenge of constantly being misunderstood.