CCChat April 2025.pdf - Flipbook - Page 49
To improve your nonverbal
communication skills:
Be fully present in the moment. If
you’re planning what you’re going to
say next or checking your phone,
you’re almost certain to miss
nonverbal cues.
Know how to manage stress. When
you’re overwhelmed by stress, you’re
more likely to misread other people,
send the wrong nonverbal signals, or
lapse into unhelpful, knee-jerk
patterns of behaviour which can be
harmful.
Develop your emotional awareness.
To read and send accurate nonverbal
cues, you need to be aware of your
emotions and how they influence you
and the person you’re
communicating with.
Improve how you read body
language. Is the person saying one
thing, but their body language telling
you something else? Is any physical
contact appropriate or does it make
you feel uncomfortable? Are their
shoulders tense and raised, or
relaxed?
Boost your emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to
understand, use, and manage your
own emotions in positive ways to
empathise with your partner,
communicate more effectively, and
deal with conflict in a healthier way.
As well as helping to improve how well
you read and use nonverbal
communication, building emotional
intelligence can help strengthen a
romantic relationship.
By understanding your own emotions
and how to manage them, you’ll be
better able to express your needs and
feelings to your partner, as well as
understand how your partner is really
feeling, too.
The key skills for improving your
emotional intelligence and better
connecting with others are:
Self-management. Can you
manage impulsive feelings and
stay emotionally present, or does
hearing something you don’t like
override all your thoughts and
self-control?
Self-awareness. Are you able to
connect to your emotions and
understand how they influence
your thoughts and actions?
Social awareness. Are you
empathetic and socially
comfortable, able to recognize
shared emotional experiences?
Relationship management. Can
you resolve conflict in healthy,
constructive ways that
strengthens the bond between
you?
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