Five Relationship Tips for Communicating with Women

Here are five tips for success in your long-term relationship. I have gleaned these from years of personal trial and error, as well as from listening through many a tearful session with my female friends. I think you’ll find them helpful and useful too.

1.) Talk it out:

If you come up against a problem (and you will!), take the time to sort it out. Ignoring and/or glossing over a problem will not make it go away. Nip it in the bud at the start, before it has a chance to grow into a bitter past experience that can be dug out of the closet and hurled at you when you least expect it! Make it a habit to attend to problems right away, instead of letting them sit and smolder. Spending 20 minutes talking about and hearing both sides of a situation could save you years of heartache down the line.

2.) Just listen:

Just because you may want to be left alone when something’s troubling you, it doesn’t mean she does. If she looks sad or confused, it’s probably because she is, and she wants you to know it. Don’t assume that she needs time to get over it.

Everyone knows that women have a tendency to want to talk about everything and anything! Why not accept that and just listen? There really are some things you will never understand about her, and that’s okay. Even if none of your helpful solutions are accepted, at least you’ve heard her out. Maybe that is all she really needs to feel better about herself, and hey, you might even learn a thing or two yourself.

3.) Say what you mean, and mean what you say:

Tell the truth. You know that we women want to hear you shower us with a waterfall of flowery, romantic promises of the future. But while we may appreciate the gush and the mush, and all those sweet nothings whispered in our ears, don’t try to promise something you can’t or don’t intend to follow through on. Sometimes saying less, and speaking the truth, is the better way to go. Trust is the most important ingredient in any long-lasting relationship that you may be attempting to cook up.

4.) Meet her halfway:

Find middle ground in an argument or disagreement. Every relationship must endure a compromise or two, and sometimes hundreds. Don’t think of it as a bad thing. And remember, although you can’t expect to always have the last say, you don’t have to let her wear the pants either. If you give in on Tuesday, don’t feel guilty about holding your ground on Wednesday. (Of course, I mean the next week’s Wednesday!) Don’t forget that you can also agree to disagree.

5.) Silence is golden:

You don’t always have to use words to communicate! Try sharing a comfortable silence once in a while. Just look into her eyes and smile. Maybe even raise an eyebrow (and her curiosity!). Don’t think that the quiet translates into boredom. You haven’t necessarily run out of things to say, maybe you just want to keep her interest. If you can pull off the ‘comfortable silence test’, you know you’ve taken that next step in your relationship. You are now both relaxed enough to enjoy each other without being self-conscious. Either that or you’ve put her to sleep.