Good communication is key to any relationship. If you\u2019re talking with your girlfriend or husband or boss or friend or even a stranger on the street, you\u2019ll never make much progress or maintain a healthy relationship if you can\u2019t communicate effectively.<\/p>\n
I have two <\/em>degrees in communication, so let me impress you with my vast communication knowledge: The formula for communication has to include at least one person sending a message and at least one person receiving it.<\/p>\n Boom.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n Communication.<\/p>\n That formula alone was worth thousands of dollars in higher education costs, right?<\/p>\n The problem, however, is that communication is never <\/em>that simple. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, \u201cThe single biggest problem in communication is the illusion<\/em> that it has taken place.\u201d<\/p>\n Let that sink in.<\/p>\n Effective communication is super difficult and super rare. In fact, in my first five years of marriage, that is probably the biggest lesson I\u2019ve had to learn. There have been numerous times when I believed<\/em> I had an effective conversation, but I later learned it was only an illusion.<\/p>\n Most of us think we\u2019re pretty good at sending messages, but today I want to focus on the other half of the communication equation \u2014 listening.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not a fan of gender stereotypes. I don\u2019t like it when people place men or women in a box by saying all <\/em>men do a certain thing and all <\/em>women do another thing. I don\u2019t think life is that black and white, and I think lines are continuing to blur. Keep that belief in mind, but also know that I do<\/em> believe \u2014 and certainly have experienced \u2014 that most men and women communicate and listen very differently.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t believe me, watch this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n You know why that video is funny? Because it\u2019s real life.<\/p>\n“It\u2019s Not About the Nail”<\/h4>\n