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Miscommunication in Relationships

There are so many methods of communication these days that miscommunication has become a common issue. Sometimes just a look can be misinterpreted, never mind something that someone says to you or writes you in an email or letter. People have to be so careful of how they communicate with each other, especially in relationships.

When in a relationship, people are usually able to relate to each other very well, but on occasion, miscommunication happens and causes issues. The important thing to know is that everyone perceives things differently depending who they are and what understanding or experience that they have about something. We need to exercise patience and understanding sometimes, as we try to understand how someone is communicating with us. What one person says or does may trigger a positive or negative reaction in the other. This is just human nature and also the essence of communication.

For example, let’s say that it is a woman’s birthday and her boyfriend is trying to pick out the perfect gift for her. He knows that she likes working out in the garden and decides to get her a wheelbarrow as a gift. On the other hand, his girlfriend is thinking that her boyfriend is finally going to get her a nice piece of jewelry like a ring or a pair of gold earrings. The woman is thinking jewelry will be a nice gift from her boyfriend, to show his devotion and love for her. The boyfriend on the other hand is thinking that a practical hobby related gift is in order. So, on the woman’s birthday, her boyfriend gives her a wheelbarrow and she gets upset with him. He does not understand this and wonders what he did wrong. This is a fine example of miscommunication that could have been avoided. In this case, the woman needed to drop hints to her boyfriend in order to receive the sort of gift that she wanted. People in relationships often make the mistake of thinking that the other person can read their mind and this is not fair.

In another situation, a man wants to go golfing with his buddies. He picks a day to go golfing and totally forgets that he promised his girlfriend that they would go on a day trip with her that day. This may have been an innocent mistake of forgetfulness, but it is also a cause for huge miscommunication. When his girlfriend discovers that he forgot their plans and is gone golfing with his buddies, she becomes very upset. This sort of miscommunication is hurtful to a relationship as it conveys a message of the man’s buddies being more important than his girlfriend. He may love her with all his heart and could have innocently forgotten. It is just a matter of communicating effectively, when a person wants to avoid such issues.

In conclusion, be wise and try to say what you mean and do what you mean to do. If you know that someone is sensitive, be careful in how you say and do things. Take a person’s feelings into consideration and be sensitive to them. Good communication is a skill that needs a lot of practice sometimes but it is well worth the effort.