Relationship communication and the power of open communication
A relationship without open communication will inevitably give way to deception. There is no grey area. It is better to hurt another with open communication than to betray with deception. You will find that even the act of open communication prevents deeds that would normally be performed under the veil of dishonesty.
A relationship is a gentle lowering of individuality or Ego. A free flow of ideas, perceptions even insecurities should come to the surface and be discussed. In the ideal environment, no taboo or perceived craziness is outside the limit of open discussion. All taboos are society’s programming anyway- which is far from open at the present time. Even governments and companies have not recognized the power of open communication with their people.
To suddenly start being open after a long period of hiding is far more difficult than being open on a regular basis. But inevitably this line has to be crossed, and accepted. An environment suitable for revealing all is the first stage of open communication. Both parties must be willing to hear anything and refrain from allowing their Ego to jump into the fray; to judge, feel hurt or angry.
Next comes regularity. At first the impulse to be dishonest “in order to protect someone” will be strong. This is the first stage of dishonesty that is justified has being beneficial to the other person. Slowly this nurtures roots of deeper deception. If the root is cut while it is young and even little white lies are absorbed by the light of open communication – no lie can ever grow.
Does this mean one can share all thoughts, all ideas, or beliefs with anyone? It should. For now you’d get locked up or thrown into an institution as a madman. But there will come a time when society’s contract with dishonesty and illusion gives way to a deeper understanding of open communication. In the meantime there can be a selective agreement of open communication between a single couple, a single family, a single company and it’s employees, between a single government and it’s people before finally the whole world accepts the idea as norm.
Everyone may not like the idea at first, preferring to hang on to the perceived power that comes through lying. It is they who will prefer to go to war when the truth has been set free. Granted, there is a fine line between loose lips that sink ships and open communication in the spirit of greater love between two enlightened individuals. Open communication does not mean running the mouth like a loose cannon. It means selectively choosing your words in a way that will bring about greater harmony between yourself and another party. And avoiding the acts that would disrupt that harmony whenever possible. And in the rare cases where a controversial decision must be made in haste and a decision was made in error, it can quickly be discussed, accepted and learned from.
Most great tragedies begin with a small deception that gets cultivated over time. If you can learn to be open even when on the surface it appears that it will not serve you, over time you become the person that can always be depended on for the truth. And because the truth is a power sought from the depths of every Soul- anyone who possesses it will hold a position of great power. Respected, admired and even revered for their sincerity, and openness even in times when the truth is unpopular and their name risks being tarnished- they rise above the primitive contract of society and peer into a new world waiting on the horizon.
James Stinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/the-power-of-open-communication-63195.html
Michael Noone is the publisher of http://www.topcommunicationskills.com an online resource for communications skills training for use with your relationships, family,friends and in your business…
How to Have Better Communication Listening Skills.
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From early on in school we have been taught that listening skills are an important part of how to communicate. It is natural for humans to use listening skills to build communication skills.
Babies learn to speak through listening. We learn about things we do not know about through listening. So having effective listening skills can make you able to communicate better. You can learn how to communicate better through listening skills if you know the basics about listening.
The following four sections explain the key points to being a good listener and why they are important to communication listening.
1. Use body language to show you are listening.
Not only will body language show you are listening, but it will also help you to listen better. If you move closer you can hear better and not be distracted as easily. If you maintain eye contact you will be less likely to be distracted by something you see around you.
Also avoid fidgeting as this can show your lack of interest or that you are getting bored.
2. Repeating back parts of what someone has said to you shows them you listened.
It also helps you to comprehend what was said better. If you misunderstood this will let the speaker know and then it can be clarified. You also show you are interested by taking their words and repeating them back. It shows you were really focused on what they said.
3. Focus on the person speaking.
You should be giving you undivided attention to the person speaking. This means you are not looking for something in your purse, glancing around the room or doing some other task during a conversation.
If you are even slightly distracted you may miss something the person says or be at risk of misunderstanding them.
4. Do not interrupt the person speaking.
You should hear the other person out and wait for a break in the conversation to ask questions or express your point of view. Interrupting only shows you are more interested in your own thoughts than theirs.
These tips basically cover the ways to be a good listener. There are various takes on what is required to be a good listener. Some qualities vary depending on the situation you are in. These tips are based for those in a casual situation, such as at a party.
You should always do your best to be a good listener. If someone knows you never really listen then they will be less likely to want to talk to you again.
Try not to ignore what is said and show your interest and your communication listening skills will come across. Knowing how to communicate better through listening skills will make you an overall better comunicator and someone people want to talk to.
Peter Murphy
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/how-to-communicate-better-with-superior-listening-skills-10296.html
When you are in any kind of relationship and the ex lover or spouse still has a presence in the other person’s life, it can be hard. This is especially true if the ex is causing a problem with the new relationship that is going on. Many people who have to deal with this problem in their life and they have to think of ways that will help them get through it.
When you truly love someone, you will find ways to work around just about any problem. This will also include the negative influence of your husband’s ex wife. You will have to come to terms with the problem and together you will have to come up with a solution that will make everyone involved happy and able to go on with his or her life.
If an ex wife is trying to make your relationship sour with your husband, you will have to do something about it. You can choose to ignore the problem and not worry about it, but this is not a very realistic idea. Most people that are in this situation will have to eventually say something and do something about it. You cannot just sit back and let someone try and ruin your relationship.
The first thing that you need to do when your husband’s ex wife is having a negative effect on your relationship is to discuss it with your husband. You have to make sure that he knows how you feel. You may want to ask him to talk to the ex wife and see if she would step back for a while. This may not always be a good idea depending on how well the ex and the husband get along.
If the husband has no luck talking to the ex wife, you may have to take care of this problem on your own. There is no sense in threatening the woman. Violence is never the answer and it will only get you in a bigger mess than what you are already in. If the women are making your marriage stressed, you should tell her how you feel.
If she has no remorse and does not agree to leave you alone, you should simple wipe her out. Block her phone number from your home phone, do not accept her mail or any other phone calls and try to ignore her completely.
Some times the ex wife is not even physically in the relationship. There are some cases where there is just so much tension from the past that it is causing some problems in your marriage now. If your husband’s ex wife was mean or had a bad temper, you may see that your relationship with your husband now is stressed. He may feel that the same thing is going to happen with you. Maybe other issues he had to deal with while he was married to the ex have to be sorted out. If so, your husband may not have worked through those problems and now it is hard for him to move on with you.
You need to work through these problems with your husband. Communication is the key to keeping your marriage on track and for going in the right direction. You want to make sure that you are keeping the lines of communication open so that you can discuss freely and problems that you are having. Talk to him about the negative effects that the ex wife has placed upon your marriage. Find out if there is anything that can be changed to make the situation more comfortable for both of you in the marriage.
If the talking is not working, you may have to take the next step and that may be counseling. This is something that you can do to make try and fix the problem. You have to be ready to go the distance when you are married and if that means that you have to seek counseling, so be it. There is nothing to be ashamed of and you may find that you have lasting results that can better your marriage all around.
The main thing to do when your husband’s ex wife is having a negative effect on your relationship is to talk about it. Sort through the details and try and come up with new ideas to make the problem go away or to be resolved.
You have to figure out a way for everyone to get along so that there can be peace with everyone. This is of course especially true if there are children involved. All of the appropriate steps have to be taken to ensure that the children are not bothered by this problem that the adults are having.
Mailcucan
http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/how-to-deal-with-the-negative-influence-of-your-husbands-exwife-on-your-relationship-73289.html
Understanding Interactive Marketing Communication
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Defining Interactive Marketing.
Interaction can be defined simply as straightforward communication between two parties.
Presently we are in danger of losing the real meaning of interaction as we tend to focus discussions on the emerging technologies and neglect the communication process itself.
With an understanding of the real meaning of Interactive Communication, existing media can be made interactive, and subsequently far more cost effective.
Goodbye to the halcyon days of the TV advertisement of old?
A new wave of technology is promising to transform the obsolete analogue technology of television into a two-way medium which allows the viewer to determine what is to be watched, and when.
This could well create a situation where the consumers solicits information from the advertiser, rather than the advertiser soliciting the attention of the consumer.
Viewers are becoming impatient with television’s linear flow and are increasingly using the limited opportunities available to them to avoid the intentions of advertisers and programme makers.
Even though to many the remote control is a fairly recent development, 44% habitually use it to avoid advertisements.
Television is an advertising medium, not a communications medium and, as television declines in the face of competition from the new media, conventional advertising will decline with it.
In many ways, ‘advertising’ is an outmoded concept, since media advertising is simply one means of communication with customers.
In an environment in which the balance of power is shifting in favour of the consumer rather than the advertiser, manufacturers and service providers need to look at ways of replacing the monologue of advertising with a dialogue which can utilise a range of different ‘relationship’ marketing techniques.
Advertising has to modernise & change.
The market place has changed. Newspapers and television have lost their exclusive hold on the advertiser, the number of print and electronic advertising channels has substantially increased, such as pre-printed booklets pushed through letterboxes, or hung on doorknobs, local cable TV and Direct Mail.
Recent events have given advertising a permanently diminished role in the selling of goods and services.
At the same time cynical consumers are wearying of the constant barrage of marketing messages.
They’re becoming less receptive of the blandishments of advertisements, and their loyalty to brands erode as they see more products as commodities distinguished only by price.
Advertising ignores communication theory.
As the mass media have matured, the behavioural dynamics of perception and interaction, which were not address by Advertising Agencies in the 70s and 80s, during the explosive growth of advertising have become critical to the redefinition of media and its role in marketing communication.
With passive, one way, forms of advertising such as media displays or television advertising, there is a certainty of a degree of non-response.
Lack of communication competence.
Most Advertising Agencies lack the skills of communication, advertising messages are more carefully prepared than interpersonal communication and yet ‘message’ comprehension tends to be lower.
Advertisements are more carefully prepared because gatekeepers (those who prepare and send out messages) are more cautious about what they say to large audiences than they are to audiences of one or a few, they check their facts more carefully and they prepare their syntax and vocabulary more precisely.
And yet, because their audience contributes much less feedback, the source cannot correct for any lapse or understanding, so people are more likely to misinterpret what they hear or read over the mass media.
It is also important to note, of course that just because mediated messages are more carefully prepared, they are not necessarily more accurate.
Gatekeepers have a way of looking at the world based on personal beliefs or motivations. This ‘world view’ sometimes tends to make media messages inaccurate.
However, Interactive Communication leads to a commitment to participate.
With interactive marketing communication, there is a commitment to participate, which in turn leads to a set of possibilities which are significantly different in how they affect the communication process itself.
The need for product information.
Image advertising doesn’t give the information needed to buy knowledge-driven products.
Moreover communication results from an interaction in which two parties expect to give and take. Audience members must be able to give feedback.
Media practitioners must be sensitive to the information contained in the feedback. This give and take can result on real understanding or real feedback.
The need for Interactive Marketing Communication.
Put simply, because there is a human desire for interaction.
We have created a media society during the past 40 or 50 years where there is an extraordinary reduction in interaction because of the one-way and more passive form of information retrieval that exists.
People desire to be taken account of, to affect change, learn and personalise their relationships with their environment. There is a phenomenal number of reasons which cause people to interact which go far beyond just giving them things.
When people participate in interactive marketing communication they are told that their efforts and feedback are of positive help to the advertisers.
Moreover, by participating, they then learn and understand the message from the advertiser, personalise their relationship with the advertiser and their products (or services).
Consumers tend to filter out information they do not want to hear and this alters the effectiveness of advertising in quite a dramatic way.
The purchaser’s decision is invariably a compromise and this leads to a certain amount of anxiety. The worry that perhaps the purchase decision was not the best or right one. In order to minimise this anxiety the purchaser seeks to reinforce his choice and begins to take more notice of his chosen product’s advertising.
And, at the same time, the purchaser deliberately suppresses data which might challenge his decision by ignoring the advertising of competitive brands.
People are often loyal to a brand simply because they do not want to readdress a decision. The opportunity to screen out undesired data always exists when media advertisements have to stand on their own and fight for attention.
Interactive Communication takes the consumer through the barrier of not wanting to address change; and this is the ultimate market the advertiser is after – the people who use his competitors’ products.
Now the consumer can say ‘Yes, I will change my behaviour and I have a very good reason or series of reasons why”, and have a well informed opinion or image in mind.
If someone goes into a product purchase decision with a very specific image of the product and its reason to exist and why they have decided those reasons are worth its purchase, the test in reality, the use of the product, will tend to confirm that premise, and therefore conversion will be enormously enhanced.
Interactive Marketing Communication turns passive advertising into active advertising and actually alters behaviour during the communication and learning process.
Interactive Marketing Communication increases sales.
And there’s more!
It enhances relationships and dramatically improves consumer knowledge, understanding and loyalty.
1. Strong Company or Brand Values.
To be effective communication has to be single minded in choosing a specific proposition which by definition cannot appeal to all.
Yet every product, service or retail outlet can offer several attractive benefits and in some cases these can be numerous.
Interactive Communication presents consumers with a ‘menu’ of powerful benefits, both rational and emotional, and asks them to choose the one which they find most relevant and appealing to them.
This allows them:-
a. To personalise their relationship with the communicator.
b. To absorb and retain the majority – or even all – of those extra benefits while making their choice.
c. Not one, but several, good reasons for buying the product or service.
Equally it puts these benefits into context, educating consumers to understand just how important those benefits are to them, and positions the product or service as unique in satisfying all those needs.
2. The emotional relationship.
By asking consumers for their opinions rather than telling them, the company makes them feel special and involved in an unprecedented way.
A company prepared to listen!
This disarms consumers and produces a feeling of trust and thereby an emotional commitment to the company and its products which cannot be generated any other way.
That emotional commitment enhances the more rational understanding of the Company or Brand Values discussed above and establishes an unprecedented, personal, relationship with the manufacturer/brand/retailer – even amongst those who may have had no previous experience.
3. Consumer Feedback.
Allowing consumers to interact with the brand by offering their opinions and views does more than create an emotional commitment; it allows large numbers of real people to express ideas in a way they have not had the facility to do before, to a company evidently prepared to listen and act.
Consumers are seduced and this generates genuinely expressed observations on the strengths of the company – as well as areas of opportunity for improvement or exploitation.
It is, in effect, an enormous piece of qualitative research, but without consumers’ ability to vouchsafe real opinions being inhibited or guided by a researcher.
Thus the combination of all these elements produces a deep understanding of the company and its brands – and its role and value to the consumer; a greater level of involvement in an emotional commitment to the brand and an enhanced desire to buy it.
Understanding Interactive Marketing Communication.
With a better understanding of the nature of Interaction allows us then to give a more precise definition of the process, that is:
“With Interactive Marketing Communication
the reader/viewer is actively encouraged to take careful note of what is being taught him,
learn rather than be taught the message, and
then give tangible evidence that the lesson, in
this case the advertising/marketing message,
has been learnt.
Interactive Marketing Communication ensures
that the initial message receiver anticipates
and then subsequently evidences a response
using a predetermined mechanism.
Paul Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/understanding-interactive-marketing-communication-108518.html
How to Make a Happy Home
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The family, nowadays, is under stress which is a threat to the happiness of the home. The stress is traceable to three factors namely: rural-urban migration, sexual revolution, and economic downturn. Industrialisation caused by the rural-urban drift has created a whole new environment. Second, sexual revolution has brought changes in values and role concepts; while the economic downturn has resulted in the high cost of living.
In a situation like this, establishing a happy home requires tremendous efforts based on certain principles. Four of these principles are discussed in this article namely: (i) the Role of the husband (ii) the demands on the wife (iii) Marriage maintenance and (iv) Children training.
The Role of the Husband
Establishing a happy home requires you (husband) to wisely and lovingly fulfill your God-given role as head of the home. The Bible states that the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23) The headship referred to relates to functional authority, which must be exercised responsibly and selflessly. This would make it easy for your wife to recognize and submit to your leadership and authority spontaneously.
You will also need to love your wife sacrificially, with the motive to elevate and contribute to her overall well-being physically, materially, emotionally, and spiritually. When you exercise responsible leadership and unselfish love, you are on your way to making a happy home.
The Role of the Wife
The traditional concept of housewife, dutifully attending to domestic chores while the husband is away to work, is fast disappearing. This is due to the pressures on the home from modern society which have drastically altered women’s role in the home.
Nevertheless, women who seriously desire to fill their God-assigned place in life will not succumb to these pressures. Their desire would be to abide by the biblical roles for women which open the door to a happy home. The biblical roles are based on the principle of helpmate and submission.
The principle of submission is for the wife to recognize the leadership of her husband and submit to his authority. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18). Please note that the submission principle does not make a wife inferior to her husband – even when extra patience is required on the part of the wife in the case of unbelieving husband.
The second biblical principle in the husband/wife relationship is that of woman as helper. God’s intention from the beginning of creation was that Eve should be an helpmate for Adam (Genesis 2:18). The wife, having unique superior qualities of her own is to complement her husband, making-up for lacks and deficiencies. For example some men have little self-control when it comes to money: they buy anything they want regardless of the family budget. This is where the wife can be her husband’s helper in terms of managing the family’s money matters. The pressures that came upon a family as a result of financial stress will thus be alleviated. The husband is relieved and his wife rightfully feels her importance and usefulness.
Marriage Maintenance
Marriage maintenance requires the husband and his wife to ensure the following four ‘Cs in their home: commitment, communication, companionship, and control.
Commitment.
Beginning from the wedding day, you and your spouse must recognize the unbreakable contract of the marriage bond and commit yourselves to it. By your words and actions, remind and reassure each other of your continuing love and devotion.
Communication
Marriage maintenance requires communication at three levels namely: information, feeling and conflict. .
Communication at the level of information involves talks about day-to-day events, like the events that happened at work during the day: what was desirable and what was not. Communication at the level of feeling makes the two of you to confidently and sincerely open up to yourselves in the expression of your emotions: fears, joys, weaknesses, and needs. The third communication at the conflict level involves handling disagreements in a calm, controlled, and open manner.
Marriage maintenance requires a reasonable, open-minded discussion of differences, a willingness to be the least, and a desire to make loving concessions.
Companionship
Spend time with your spouse. It is essential for good marriage maintenance.This is one thing that brought the two of you together in the first instance; and when you do, you are satisfying a basic human need. So, consciously evaluate your schedule and reserve time for your spouse.
Control
Self-discipline is vital in making a happy home, especially when it comes to the sexual instinct and the handling of money. Within the bonds of matrimony sex is a deep, rich, and meaningful expression of love; but outside of it, it is sinful and degrading. Therefore, recognize the will of God on sexual behaviour and be careful to exercise self-control in this area of life. The bible warns, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge”. (Hebrews 13:4)
Self-discipline is also important in the handling of money. Many homes have lost happiness because of trouble over finances. In today’s easy-credit society, some families over-stretch themselves, and live under tension because of failure to meet their bills. You can make your home happy by exercising self-discipline in the way you spend money. Be open and honest in analyzing your needs, wants and the proposed spending without putting undue pressure on your spouse. Above all, sincerely pray for the Lord’s direction.
The Children
Another critical factor in making a happy home is child training. Bringing up your children through their infancy, childhood, and teenage years can be enjoyable, rewarding, and God-honouring. The following are essential to achieve this:
Companionship
It is important that you spend time with your children if you desire to make a happy home. They need your individual, and undivided attention from infancy through their teenage years – and sometimes in adulthood. The hours spent with them are an investment in their spiritual welfare and future happiness. So, do not be too busy as not to have time for them.
Confidence
As children mature in years, you need to express a reasonable confidence in them. Provide the necessary guidance as they expand their interests and widen their circle of friends, allowing them to spread their wings at a comfortable but controlled pace.
A Biblical Education with personal example. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Moses emphasized the importance of parental instruction in spiritual matters. Teach your children the Word of God right from infancy. Talk to them about God, and let them know that you believe His Word, the Bible, and that you trust its promises. In practice, let it be evident to them that your actions match your words, and that your decisions and morality are based upon the biblical truth.
Discipline
Making a happy home requires you to discipline your children in love.
Whenever discipline becomes necessary, the reason for it must be understood by all concerned. It should be evident to the child that the punishment is being administered for a good and justifiable reason. The discipline must be consistent, otherwise it might send confusing signals.
Respect
It is important to raise a child with a healthy sense of self-worth. Your children must know that each of them is important to you – and to God. Therefore, they must learn to value self-respect, apart from respecting others. I have a code of conduct in my family which is: ‘Respect your seniors, respect your colleagues, respect your juniors, and respect yourself’. Interestingly, this has helped to enhance respect and good behavior among my children. Any child who is tempted to misbehave is quickly reminded by his/her colleague of this code of conduct.
So, the assurance of a reasonable respect and a healthy sense of self-worth will enable the children to develop their skills and realize their potential.
The determination to adhere to all the above prayerfully will ensure the desired happiness in your home.
—————-
References
Richard W. De Haan (1981), How to make a House a Home, Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49555.
Scofield, C.I. (1986), The First Scofield Reference Bible (KJV), World Bible Publishers, Inc., Iowa Falls, USA.
Ijagbulu, Dele (1989), ‘For Husbands Only’. A bi-monthly publication of Olu-Ibukun Counselling Centre, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Samson Adeyekun
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/how-to-make-a-happy-home-728072.html
I first moved to a non-English speaking country almost 30 years ago. I did not know how much I would change my own way of communicating. My own English. And it has really changed.
The Difficulties Of A Non-Native English Speaker
I think most people who learn English as a second language go through more adjustments in learning English as a foreign language than English speakers learning a second language.
Foreigners often tell me English is an easy language to learn. It should be. There is just so much of it around. On the radio, the internet and very often in the workplace.
Foreigners think English is easy. But there is a variety of English communication. There is a big step in thinking you know a language and in being a good communicator.
Good cross-cultural communication takes some adjustments. Both parties need to make an effort in finding a common understanding.
The Native English Speaker’s Job
When a native English speaker is in a foreigner’s home country, often the native English speaker does most of the adjusting.
If the native English speaker has traveled before, this usually happens naturally. He instinctively knows how to make it easy for his foreign listener.
Non-native English speakers do not always realize how much the English speaker will adapt his conversation to make it easy for him. English speakers adjust their communication in several ways to make it easier for non-native English speakers:
- Slang
- Strong accents
- Different dialects or country specific vocabulary
- Awkward grammar
- Difficult vocabulary
- Different communication styles
The Adjustment Process
I can easily forget the years of adjusting my conversation I went through. This is what I remember I did:
- Pay attention constantly to make sure everyone understands the same thing.
- Backtrack the conversation as soon as a little doubt came up or if I was surprised by any reaction or remark
- Explained I was tired, when I was and finding the effort too much.
I remember feeling as if I was doing all the effort in making the conversations work. I remember being surprised at many misunderstandings. I was also surprised at how and why they happened.
Everyone has their own perceptions of their cross-cultural communication. There is no right or wrong. There are only effective and enriching cross-cultural exchanges.
Native-English speakers communicating with non-native English speakers are in a situation with many different and uncontrollable perceptions. Some perceptions are based on the person or culture, and others on workplace specific conditions.
It is important for native-English speakers to remember to adjust their own English communication during their first cross-cultural encounters.
Practice Makes Productive Cross-Cultural Communication
It takes practice to smooth over the hurdles caused by these communication differences. The more conversations you have with non-native English speakers the more you pick up receptive, productive and interactive cross-cultural communication skills.
Seasoned English speaking international professionals end up constantly using a reduced vocabulary. They have to adapt to so many different language levels. This makes it very easy for their non-native English-speaking partners to understand them. The non-native speakers feel flattered. This reinforces their opinion that English is a very easy language to learn.
I have lived in a non-English speaking country longer than I have in my native English speaking home. Adjusting my own communication is permanently on automatic.
My own day-to-day English is very simple and direct. I rely on creating pictures with words to get specific points across. Sometimes I get frustrated at limiting my own vocabulary. That’s when I hunt down stimulating conversation, or reading. And even writing.
Language is important. How you use your language to communicate with others is also important. Adjusting your English communication to meet the language levels of others is part of an effective communication process.
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Cindy King
http://www.articlesbase.com/international-business-articles/adjust-your-own-english-communication-to-meet-other-language-levels-718775.html
Why Do Most Marriages Fail?
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Roughly 50% of all marriages fail and many of those dont even make it past the first year. Understanding why these marriages fail can be key to ensuring that your own marriage does not fail. Some factors that contribute to the failure of a marriage include a lack of communication or poor communication, financial issues and even the circumstances of the marriage. All of these issues can exist in a healthy and enduring marriage but if they are not dealt with properly they can lead to the failure of the marriage.
Communication is critical to the success of a marriage. Without proper communication, conflict resolution becomes a difficult issue. If the couple lacks the communication skills necessary to resolve their problems, then even the smallest problems will become insurmountable. Communication allows a relationship to grow and thrive by giving the partners an opportunity to share their dreams, concerns, hopes and desires with each other. Without sharing in this way a couple will not grow as close together as possible. Communication also gives the couple a healthy way to resolve their arguments.
If one or both partners lack effective communications skills it becomes difficult to resolve arguments because the couple is not able to understand each others points of view.
If the marriage is already in trouble, both partners in the marriage must be dedicated to working on their communication skills in order to improve or salvage their marriage. The absence of effective communication techniques can lead to the failure of a marriage.
Love may conquer all but sometimes even love isnt enough to save a marriage when there are significant financial concerns. While financial concerns in and of themselves may not be the cause of a failed marriage the tension that financial concerns create is often the culprit in a failed marriage. Financial concerns can be a heavy burden to bear and when a couple is struggling to meet their financial obligations, there can be a tremendous amount of pressure in the relationship. This pressure may be enough to destroy an otherwise healthy marriage.
If one of the partners in the marriage becomes obsessed with the marital finances they can begin to neglect other aspects of the marriage. This neglectful behavior has the affect of making the spouse feel ignored and lonely which can be damaging to a marriage. Often one of the partners will become consumed with the financial affairs and this can be very damaging to a marriage.
Even the circumstances surrounding the marriage can lead to its failure. A marriage of convenience is often not a healthy marriage. When the decision to marry is based on something other than true love, it is likely that the marriage will fair. Some examples of marriage circumstances that often lead to failure are getting married because there is a baby on the way or because the couple is feeling pressure to get married by friends and family members. Neither of these reasons are truly valid reasons for marriage and often leads to divorce. When a couple marries for reasons other than true love the marriage is often doomed before it starts.
Marrying too young is another reason why many marriages fail. While the right age to marry varies greatly depending on the person, many people argue that the teens and early twenties are too early to get married. Getting married before you have had a chance to enjoy many of lifes experiences can result in resentfulness in the marriage and can be the cause of failure of the marriage.
Another reason why many marriages fail is that society no longer places importance on the institution of marriage. Today it is common for couples to live together and have children without being married. This degeneration of society devalues marriage and results in a higher percentage of failed marriages. With so little value placed on marriage in todays society, couples are not committed to making their marriage work and are often quick to give up on the marriage and each other.
Many marriages today are doomed before they even start. Marriage is no longer seen as a necessary step in a relationship so many couples are quick to divorce without making an honest effort to resolve their problems. Communication breakdown, financial difficulties as well as circumstances of the marriage are all problems that can cause many marriages to fail.
T J Madigan
http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/why-do-most-marriages-fail-112040.html
Why You Need To Know Your Clients Expectations Before You Outsource Your Customer Support Overseas
Clients from different cultures have different expectations on the type of service you provide them. And when you outsource your customer support to another country you may open your company’s communication up to a whole new set of cultural blunders.
My own cultural expectations, living in one country, buying something from a company based in a second country I’m very familiar with, were frustrated because this company had a call center in a third country with different cultural habits and a totally different outlook on my own client expectations.
And I was not expecting to have to adapt to this third country’s cultural values. Here’s what happened:
The Scenario:
- I am North American and I live in France.
- I wanted to buy an airplane ticket from a North American airline company for my 18 year old daughter.
- My two major purchase factors were that I wanted an inexpensive ticket. I wanted to see if there were any deals for young people.
- This company did not have any sales offices in France.
- I had to go online and find the deal I wanted and then call a customer support person to make the purchase. This customer support person was located in India.
- I spent half an hour on the phone asking my questions and sorting details out. During this half hour the price of the ticket increased 3 times to well over 20% the price indicated online just before I called.
The Cultural Difference
- The person on the other end of the phone just could not understand my frustration at having gone through all of the hoops I was asked to, and being penalized for it.
- I was given incorrect information concerning the prices. The prices indicated online were changing regularly. This feeling was not acknowledged or considered in any way appropriate by the customer support personnel.
- I was spoken to as if I should accept any large increase in price now because I was European, therefore rich, and therefore could afford any price increase as well as any further price increases. The differences between my culture and any form of North American “political correctness” and this person’s cultural background were huge.
This is not the only cultural conflict I have experienced with call centers outsourced to countries with totally different cultural values to the company selling to me and myself.
It is obvious that some companies are setting themselves up for constant communication issues by outsourcing to cultures incompatible with their clients’ cultural service expectations.
Incident Conclusion
So, my conclusion is: if you are in international business and want to find cheaper options for certain tasks, evaluate very carefully just how outsourcing to a different culture may create communication barriers for your clients.
Outsourcing may save you money in one hand and cost you a loss of revenue in the other hand.
Sure, you can invest heavily in training your outsourced center and you can create excellent call scripts. But it is near impossible for companies to eradicate inborn cultural values in their employees when they are living in their own culture.
Successful outsourcing is also obviously based on good operating practices.
- If I had had a local representative to speak to here in France, or even an actual North American representative to speak to, my bad experience would not have happened.
- Many companies are finding they can provide a better experience by only using call center personnel from the same country as the buyer. It is often easier to open a call center in a local area with high unemployment than to risk outsourcing to a different culture.
- If the online ticket ordering process had been totally online and able to answer my two questions on prices, my bad experience would not have happened.
How To Get Beyond Frustration
But I wanted to get beyond my own frustrations. I understand companies who take decisions based purely on their ROI. As a small company owner I have to do the same thing.
How can companies create a better match between differences in their clients’ expectations and the low cost labor markets with different cultures where their customer support is outsourced?
The choice in the right country to outsource your customer support involves a lot more than cost.
Good prior evaluation reduces the cost of losing clients through what boils down to very bad international communication.
The Answer Lies In The Differences In Cultural Behavioral Values
A study of the different behavioral values of different countries involved provides some clues as to why this situation happened in the first place.
What Are Behavioral Values?
Cross cultural communication experts define different cultures as having different ways of behaving along 5 different scales:
- High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
- High versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
- High versus Low Power Distance Behavior
- High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
- High versus Low Context Behavior
How To Interpret Cultural Behavioral Values
Looking at the results of research done on these different behavioral values does not give you absolute certainties.
Cultural generalizations are not always 100% accurate. Your market may have other determining factors. But cultural behavioral values do give a very clear indication to why cultural miscommunication happens when it actually does.
Studying and simply being aware of the differences in cultural behavioral values can help you to come up with solutions and work around the communication barriers.
The Cultures You Need To Look At
It is important to look at the cultural behavioral values in your own country compared to those in the country doing your outsourced work.
Your international clients will come from all over the world. But you should be able to identify strong client bases. And you might want to look into the cultural behavioral values from those countries.
Then you have to evaluate your needs and your clients’ needs.
Be sure to evaluate your clients’ expectations before deciding on your international customer support strategy.
Good Cross Cultural Communication.
Good cross cultural communication is something you gain from experience. But there are two things worth noting:
Good communication is part of all successful businesses.
Good cross cultural communication is part of all successful international businesses.
If you would like to learn more about different cultural behavioral values, the Get International Clients Newsletter will be covering a different behavioral scale each week for the next 5 weeks.
Sign up now so you know how to adapt your sales support to your international clients’ expectations.
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Cindy King
http://www.articlesbase.com/international-business-articles/why-you-need-to-adapt-your-sales-and-marketing-to-fulfill-your-international-client-expectations-712583.html
why is good communication skills a good skill to have?
By · Commentswhy would people benefit from having good communication skills? what consequences you you possible face with out good communication skills?
For starters, proofread your post =)
Although its unfair, having good communication skills imparts your level of intelligence. Lacking them often leads people to draw conclusions which probably aren’t true. Bad communication skills can also cost you a higher-paying position or even certain jobs, not to mention elimination from certain social circles. Its certainly worth the effort to increase one’s vocabulary or have someone practiced proofread what you write, as your written communication may be the only interaction you have with someone.
Have you ever considered the Big C Commitment in your relationship?
Have you wondered what one simple word is that each of us has to carry out in the relationship? The word is commitment. I have seen many couples have been executing their commitment in their relationship, ensuring that they have contributed something. Sometimes, in relationship, some couple can be much occupied in their own stuff that they cannot have much time to commit with each other. Commitment can be very challenging to some couples because some of them are pretty new to committing in relationship and they generally get lost somewhere. They really wish to stay happily together, so they have to consider this big C – commitment in their relationship. With a huge commitment made, there is always a harvest in return. So, for those readers who are reading this piece of article, do not feel very awkward to yourself.
Many people are afraid of the big C – also known as commitment. However, without commitment many relationships are doomed for failure. Some people are so afraid of committing in a relationship that they actually have a phobia about it. Many relationships end suddenly because one partner is ready for a commitment and the other is not. Whether you are thinking about a marriage commitment or just interested in dating your partner exclusively, commitment is a big step and one that both partners need to agree upon before taking together. If one party is committed and the other is not, a troubled journey lies ahead. Here are some issues to take into consideration to help determine if you are ready for a commitment.
First, you need to ask yourself if your partner is your number one priority in life. Do you find that you think constantly about your relationship and make plans for both you and your partner? If you are only thinking about yourself, then you may not be ready for a commitment. However, if you find that any time you need to make a major decision you wonder how your partner would feel about it, then you may be on the road to a monogamous future.
Another area to consider is how you handle troublesome times in your relationship. When arguments or difficulties arise, do you and your partner tend to work things out in a calm manner? Or do you secretly just wish you could end the relationship. If you don’t feel that you have the desire to work through issues now, it is unlikely that will change if you become a committed couple. Working through difficulties together is a vital component of a committed relationship.
What is the overall tone of your relationship? Would you consider your relationship to be rocky, stable, up and down, exciting, or boring? Do you and your partner communicate well? Do you feel that he listens and understands what you have to say and vice versa? Communication is extremely vital to the future of any relationship and if you have communication issues now, you can only expect them to get worse over time.
Also, how do you react when you see an attractive guy or girl? Does your eye immediately wander? Do you wonder if you would be better suited with them? Or do you instantly think of your partner and reflect on how satisfied you are with him or her. If you find that you are content with your partner, you may be ready to commit.
Another question to ask you is this, “What does your gut instinct say?” Does your heart tell you that this is the one for you? Do you believe that you could spend the rest of your life with this person? Trusting your gut instinct is a great way to determine if you are ready for the big C. Your mind may play games on you, logic may interfere, but what is your heart telling you. If you believe that you could love this person forever, then why not give it a shot. Don’t let a fear of commitment rob you from the future joy you could have with your partner.
Indeed, life is short. Don’t let another day go by without taking a chance on happiness. You will never know until you try, so remember to make a move today. It can change or affect the rest of your life, therefore, at the very least, you can try to come out something for your ex love partner during your weekend plans. With a little practice, perseverance and patience, I believe that your relationship could be enhanced with the tips that I have shared earlier. If you have faced any problems with your loved ones, do not hesitate to visit this piece of article again.
I really have a strong belief that if you can understand what I have explained and applied what you have learnt from this piece of article, your problems can be eventually solved and your making up relationship can become more stable and stronger. I wish all the best for your making up relationship with your partner. Do always remember to spread word of mouth to your fellow friends for supporting the decision of having making up than breaking up.
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You will also learn how to reverse the situation if you have already done those things that should NEVER be done.
dhlim88
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/have-you-ever-considered-the-big-c-commitment-in-your-relationship-593029.html