Do you regularly get together to talk with your family about problems or the day’s events? _____1_____ Want to improve your family's communication skills? Try these simple steps to improve your family’s communication skills. 1. Create opportunities for talking. Make time for talking by reducing the number of activities your family is involved in each week. And if you do find yourself in the car running from place to place, make a point to turn off the radio, the cell phones and the personal game players, and use that opportunity to catch up on the day’s activities. 2. Insist on family meals. In addition to bringing everyone together for a wrap-up of the day’s activities, insisting on a few standing family meals creates ritual and routine that kids come to expect and look forward to. _____2_____ 3. _____3_____ Spending time with each of your children lets them know that are not getting lost in the hubbub of a busy day or large family. Older teens might enjoy going out for a hamburger or a latte at their favorite coffee place. Younger children often enjoy going to the supermarket, especially when you let them select their favorite cereal or special dessert. 4. Remember the 80/20 rule. When trying to improve any relationship, listening is far more important than talking. _____4_____ If you do verbally explode before your child is finished, apologize quickly and assure him or her that you’re now ready to listen. 5. Create family traditions. _____5_____ Family members come to expect and appreciate these traditions, seeing them as opportunities to come together as a unit. If your family is short on traditions, there’s no reason you can’t start some now.
F. Use the family dinner table as an opportunity to share what’s going on in family members’ lives. G. Conversation is the key to any strong relationship, especially for family communication. |