Open, honest and direct communication will usually strengthen and enhance your relationship with your partner. Communication, both spoken and nonverbal, requires investment, practice and dedication. The University of Michigan's Health & Well-being Services website reports that a lack of communication may weaken emotional bonds or even cause you to fall out of love with your partner. Different tools help to strengthen communication skills and enhance exchange and understanding.
Clarifying Questions
Clarifying questions help you and your partner to know, process and account for the other's needs and desires, which change and fluctuate over time. It is important to ask, rather than assume the other person's needs. Clarifying questions allow you to communicate beneath the surface level and, when you use them, encourage your partner to express emotions and feelings.
For example, when you or your partner withdraw after a meeting, don't assume you don't want to talk about it because you view each other as private and quiet. Ask how the meeting made them feel, what happened and what's the personal impact.
Clarifying your own words, thoughts and experiences when talking with your partner will help you to express your needs and emotions, making it easier for your partner to understand you. Clarifying questions reveal the true content of the communication and may prevent frustration, anger or bitterness accompanying misunderstood or improperly conveyed communications.
Emotional Cues
Learning how you and your partner respond to emotional cues may improve your relationship and communication with each other. Discussing the ways you both want the other to offer comfort during a hard time and how you would like the other person to respond during communication may improve your interactions.
For example, if you prefer distraction-free conversations, tell your partner how checking email, doing the dishes or text messaging during a conversation makes you feel. If you or your partner finds comfort in touch, such as holding hands during a hard conversation, saying so helps you both to understand and know how to interact while communicating with each other. Learning how to send and receive messages with each other ensures that the messages don't get lost in translation and enhances communication.
Nonverbal Communication
Communication consists of both verbal and nonverbal components. Nonverbal communication includes eye contact, body language and facial expressions. Eye contact conveys interest and investment in a conversation and encourages your partner to continue talking. Appropriately matching your verbal and nonverbal communication reinforces your message and conveys that you say what you mean and mean what you say.
For example, if your partner asks you if you are upset and you respond, through clenched teeth and while making fists with your hands, that you are fine, your verbal and nonverbal communication do not match one another and send a conflicting message. Allowing each other to point out, in a nonjudgmental manner, discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal communication may help you both to communicate more effectively with each other.
Practicing and modeling appropriate corresponding expressions and words may help eliminate confusion or frustration during conversation. If you use a mirror to practice facial expressions, body language and gestures that correspond appropriately to different emotions, it may help you to express yourself better to your partner.
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