How To Communicate Better With Others & Yourself
Do you struggle with communicating or get frustrated with others who don’t seem to communicate as clearly as you’d like?
We all know that communication is key, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.
That’s why we’ve listed a few simple ways you can get clear on what it is you need and want — and learn HOW to communicate that easily to others or yourself!
What do you truly want?
First you need to gain clarity over what you want in the first place. Many times there’s a disconnect when we’re communicating with others or ourselves, because we don’t actually know what it is that we want or need.
We always find it incredibly helpful to use self-inquiry to discover what it is we actually need. Self-Inquiry is: asking yourself really good questions and training yourself to find the answers. You can learn more about how to use self-inquiry to find answers here.
We always laugh over this clip from The Notebook 😂 Because sometimes when we’re asked what we want, we don’t always know. “It’s not that simple!”
3 Simple Ways To Communicate More Clearly
If you’ve been struggling with communicating to others or yourself, you need to get super clear on what it is you want.
Here are three simple ways to do this:
Work on your decision making
You might need to start getting better at making decisions and being decisive. If this is the case for you, see how you could shift your mindset when it comes to making decisions.
Can making decisions be a service to you and others?
Is there a way to relieve some of that pressure you might feel when making a decision?
Why don’t you want to make a decision?
Does a lack of confidence hold you back from making decisions?
Be more concrete and less vague
When it comes to communication we sometimes run into problems when we’re too vague. So how could you be more concrete in your communication?
Here are some areas you could practice having more concrete communication. Pick one you could work on this week.
Creative or business ideas
Thoughts
Requests
Goals
Actions
Something else
Be your own personal editor
See if you can get really good at simplifying what you want into a few words or one sentence.
A good trick is to see if someone could easily repeat back what you are wanting after you’ve communicated to them.
You could also try writing out what it is you want in one simple sentence or phrase.
Remember Who You Are Communicating With
We sometimes forget that the way we communicate needs to differ depending on WHO we are communicating with. Remember to communicate in a way that THEY will understand, not just what makes sense to you and your brain.
Here are a few different examples. Think of how you communicate differently with each one.
Yourself
A loved one
A child
A teenager
God
Someone who doesn’t know you well
A complete stranger
Your inner mentor, creative self, intuition or future self
We Communicate What We Think We Deserve
We all struggle with communication in some way so it’s helpful to remember you’re not alone in this. We’re all just trying our best!
The more we learn to love ourselves and others, the more dedicated we are to communicating in a clear and loving way.
Your Challenge: This week, just take note of how you are communicating with yourself and others.
Do you have a loud inner critic?
Do you make others choose for you by saying, “I don’t care”?
Do you struggle with communicating clearly to others when you know it might cause contention or it highlights something you did wrong?
Do you easily get frustrated with others for not making a decision quickly?
No need to judge yourself or label yourself as someone who isn’t good at communicating. Just notice and then experiment by communicating differently with yourself or someone else this week.
How could you become more clear on WHAT it is you want?
How could you practice communicating in a way that’s simple, clear and repeatable?
If you’d like more help, you can always contact us here or join our Patreon membership to get one on one support and access to our latest classes!
We’re always here to help you make progress you’re proud of and take better care of yourself.
xoxo,
Laura + Kristin
Listen to the content below
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Episode #171 How To Communicate Better With Others & Yourself
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