By: Therese Bermpohl
How do you relate to others in friendships and relationships?
We live in a world full of technological advances, where anybody who is anybody is on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin and has an iPhone and the ability to access the internet from the far recesses of the world. Isn’t it ironic that one of the top reasons cited for divorce is poor communication skills? There is just no way around it: good communication skills make for good marriages.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How do I handle or react to conflict?
- Am I able to express myself clearly and charitably when I disagree with a friend, significant other or spouse?
- Do I hold grudges?
- Do I pray before I speak?
- How would I rate my listening skills?
- Am I open to compromise?
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Web page, Making a Case for Marriage, couples who remain married have the same “types of disagreements as those who divorce. The difference stems from how they handle disagreements. It’s about behaviors – or best practices.”
Every year, the Office for Family Life hosts a communications series aimed at getting young adults to think about improving their communication skills prior to entering the sacred vocation of marriage. We want to help couples learn how to navigate the waters of disagreements before they pronounce their vows before God, family and friends so that their marriages will last a lifetime.
How do you Communicate?
If you are considering marriage, or perhaps you just want to learn better communication techniques, join us on Wednesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 16 for a two-part series led by licensed psychologist, Lisa Klewicki, founder of Fountain of Life, LLC, and therapist Art Bennett, Director of the Alpha Omega Clinic and author of The Temperament God Gave You: The Classic Key to Knowing Yourself, Getting Along with Others and Growing Closer to the Lord and The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse.
The talks will be held each night at 7:30 p.m. at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Annandale. A wine and cheese reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $10 per talk. For more information, e-mail Kateri Schmidt at yam@arlingtondiocese.org
The secret ingredient: choose to love; choose not to hate; choose to generate and preserve peace. Choose wisely. Listen. Learn to see the scenario which can only lead to petty arguments and then CHOOSE not to feed the scenario. Choose wisely.
The same guidance can be applied similarly in relationships between clergy and laity. There can be a problem there as well which should be addressed in some detail in the seminaries as well as in practical application.
[...] Bennett, author and director of the Alpha Omega clinic, will be speaking at Part II of our engaging Communication Skills Seminar on Wednesday, June 16. Like last week, we will gather for wine and cheese at 6:30 p.m. at St. [...]
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