Communication and Decision-making

 Communication is essential to problem-solving and understanding one`s thoughts and opinions, It is essential to convey your thoughts and feelings to others. The message has to be encoded to make it possible for others to decode it. We have to come up with forms of media that can transfer the message. Some forms of media are words, tone, body language. These media forms play a crucial role in effectively transferring the message. People tend to trust the tone more than the words. However non-verbal communication such as body language tends to be trusted more than verbal communication. Interestingly communication mediums have changed over time and how people use them. Initially, before phones came into the picture, people used to communicate more through visiting and introducing themselves, however when phones came, they took over the idea of visiting and talking. It got worse when texting became available because it was easy to do and there was no verbal communication involved. Texting has built walls that make people more isolated and makes it hard for those who care to know if they are alright. Most people believe that face-to-face communication is more effective because it’s easy for one to be understood through exhibiting different communication mediums such as words, tone, and body language. People from different parts of the world use different means of communication and sometimes communication is difficult when different people from different places understand each other. Sarcasm is one way of communication that can be misread and misunderstood by others which sometimes can lead to problems in relationships. Sarcasm is another form of dishonesty. 

Five secrets of effective communication. These are five things that people do but we don’t see them do them often. 

1. Disarming technique – It is a technique to change how you think and feel and also how they feel and think about you. It is an empathy skill to help others feel understood. We try to find the kernel of truth in what others are saying. If someone says something about you and seems negative to you, the moment we try to understand their point more by disarming ourselves and allowing both of us to let our guard down, they are also disarmed and our conversation is productive.
2. Express thoughts and feelings through empathy – This is also an empathy skill that is done through repeating what one has expressed and thus putting emotional labels to solidify a connection
3. Inquiry – Another empathy skill that is done through asking questions if you are getting what they are saying is right. Inquiring to hear more about their feelings is another way of trying to understand more how they feel.
4. Sending I feel statements – The use of when……...event……., I feel……emotion …, because……thought…., I would like………. request……… is the best way of expressing the I feel statements.
5. Stroking – authentically express what you admire about the other person.

These ways of effective communication foster healthy relationships and encourage stronger bonds in marriage. Practice is the most important thing to being effective in communication, as one writes down the best response using the five methods, eventually, it becomes a habit that can be drawn upon when solving problems within relationships. 

Moving on to making decisions. It is incredibly difficult to make decisions when one is affluent because of many open options. However, when a couple marries young there is an opportunity to grow together and gain experience in decision making. I think the best way is to always include God, asking Him if the decision we want to make it right. Sometimes the answer from the Lord will be different for both people in the relationship but it will be the best answer.

In conclusion, communication and decision-making is essential in the success of any relationship because they are inseparably connected.