Viewpoint: Maintaining communication is vital for healthy relationships

Michael Foster-Sanders
senior producer

The art of communication is a valuable tool to acquire in life because it can save time, misunderstandings and relationships.

Communication in the workforce is vital since it makes a person’s workflow seamless, especially if it’s in a team environment that relies on a set schedule to produce something. Communication also includes proper planning because it prevents poor performance.
According to Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. When this happens, it’s important to inform the team so they can expect delays and adjust or help with the issue. In leadership positions being an efficient communicator can boost confidence in a team and improve the overall quality of a product. If the leader is deficient in communication with their team, it could lead to trust issues that could have the squad second-guessing.

Romantic relationship communication is important because of the mental and emotional feelings involved when dealing with another person. No one wants to feel like they’re investing time into a worthless situation, or being taken advantage of.

Photo Courtesy of krakenimages/Unsplash

Communication can convey how each person feels, so if it’s a problem, it can be solved and promote happiness leading to a healthier situation. No communication can often take romantic relationships into bad spaces where emotional neglect, mental or physical abuse could manifest. But before that transpires, someone should say they’re not happy in the relationship instead of letting resentment build.

Once both people’s dirty laundry is out, a choice could be made to fix the issue or to leave. The best part about communicating is that if you decide to leave, an argument can be avoided because there was already a discussion about how everything will be handled. No need for a yelling match.

Being able to de-escalate an argument is an art form within itself.

At times, people will not hear what a person said and misinterpret what they said because of feelings. It’s important to be able to clarify what you’re saying instead of letting a misunderstanding create a giant, unnecessary argument. Instead of fighting fire with fire, use words like water to quell misunderstandings.

In any aspect of life, communication doesn’t come as easily as flipping on a light switch or is a one-size-fits-all situation. No human is alike and every single one is a complex being. Varying emotions need to be taken into account.

3474 Observing and learning how to communicate in varied situations could prevent a lifetime of arguments.