By Tiffany Bro MFT-Associate
The Top 5 communication mistakes
- Choosing the wrong time
- Being defensive/not acknowledging your contribution to the problem
- Focusing on the argument and not how the problem is affecting you both
- Not apologizing correctly
- Forgetting to check back in
Moving Through Tough Talks
- Ask if it is a good time, if not, set it aside, dont ask for a why not.
- Trust that they know best when they will be open to receive. Make a plan for a later time.
- Say what you see
- It seems like you________,
- I could understand how you could feel ________
- I could imagine that for you_____________
- Ask questions to better understand what is going on for them.
- State the your intention
- to connect, understand, support and repair.
- Reassure them that you love and care for them
- I love you so much and I want you to know that I do not want to hurt you. I want you feel more safe and loved
- Share an Apology
- remember what a good apology is (see my other blog post)
- Share an Appreciation
- Thank you for ________
- Offer ideas about how YOU can change YOUR side of the issue (not theirs)
- Would it be helpful if I __________
- Ask them for their ideas of how you could do better
- Offer affection
- Leave the lines of communication open-
- Do you feel like we worked this through?
- Check back in
- In a day, a week or a month
2025 Tiffany Bro, MA MFT-Associate
