

{"id":29707,"date":"2018-11-16T08:49:25","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T08:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=29707"},"modified":"2022-08-25T09:13:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T09:13:01","slug":"communication-failures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/communication\/communication-failures\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Communication Failures That Cause Even the Strongest Marriage to Fail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16286 size-full\" title=\"12 Communication Failures That Cause Even the Strongest Marriage to Fail\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3-Easy-Games-That-Can-Help-Fix-Bad-Communication-In-Your-Marriage.jpg\" alt=\"12 Communication Failures That Cause Even the Strongest Marriage to Fail\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the best marriages probably break down because of&nbsp;<span data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":15105,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":0,\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Calibri\",\"16\":11}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"communication problems\"}'>communication problems between a couple<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some couples are so in love and committed to each other but who don&rsquo;t appear to get along because their communication is awry. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And to top it all off, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/experts\/\">marriage counselors<\/a> often cite a lack of communication&nbsp;or&nbsp;<span data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":15105,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":0,\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Calibri\",\"16\":11}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"communication issues in marriage\"}'>communication issues in marriage<\/span> as being one of the biggest deal breakers in marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, understanding what communications failures you might experience in your marriage and seeking to correct them is well worth the effort, don&rsquo;t you think? &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But,&nbsp;<span data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":15105,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":0,\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Calibri\",\"16\":11}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"how to fix a lack of communication in a relationship\"}'>how to fix a lack of communication in a relationship?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The article shares the 12 most common communication failures or&nbsp;<span data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":15105,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":0,\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Calibri\",\"16\":11}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"communication issues in relationships\"}'>communication issues in relationships and what can be done to fix them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-Listening-but-not-listening\"><\/span>1. Listening, but not listening<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the biggest communication failures we experience is our incredible ability to listen, but not listen. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If only we all just realized that this was a huge cause of problems in marriages and we can all be guilty of it. &nbsp;Take time to practice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/communication\/listening-skills-why-are-they-so-important-in-a-relationship\/\">developing your listening skills<\/a> to bring some peace to your marriage!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-Focusing-only-on-what-you-need-to-offload\"><\/span>2. Focusing only on what you need to offload<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most people in a relationship can recall a time when they just offloaded onto their spouse without any interest in hearing what&rsquo;s happening with their spouse. &nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all know that all take and no give is not healthy, and we&rsquo;ve all probably been guilty of this occasionally. &nbsp;Avoid this communication failure by checking yourself regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-Speaking-without-checking-yourself-first\"><\/span>3. Speaking without checking yourself first<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, this is one communication failure that we can all trip upon from time to time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make it a practice to check in and think before you start <span data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":15105,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":0,\"12\":0,\"14\":[null,2,0],\"15\":\"Calibri\",\"16\":11}' data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"yelling and screaming in relationships\"}'>yelling and screaming in relationships<\/span>, and you&rsquo;ll save your marriage some trouble and strife! &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-Not-checking-the-tone-of-your-voice\"><\/span>4. Not checking the tone of your voice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.acouplesplace.com\/Gottmans_Four_Horsemen_are_Divorce_Predictors.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. John Gottman<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> claims that he found in his research that how you start a discussion is how you end a discussion. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So checking your tone of voice to make sure that it&rsquo;s not going to set things off on the wrong tone is something that we could all start doing. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This way, we&rsquo;ll avoid this communication failure in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-Non-verbal-communication\"><\/span>5. Non-verbal communication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&rsquo;t let your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/communication\/nonverbal-communication-in-marriage\/\">non-verbal communication<\/a> be the communication failures that let down your marriage. Your facial expressions and gestures and even eye rolls will all be registered for the good or the bad.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6-Blaming\"><\/span>6. Blaming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-24754 size-full\" title=\"Blame is a frequent communication failure that occurs in marriage\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Troubleshoot-Couples-Troubles-by-Improving-Your-Marriage-Communication.jpg\" alt=\"Blame is a frequent communication failure that occurs in marriage\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blame is a frequent communication failure that occurs in marriage. &nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The saying familiarity breeds contempt is appropriate here. Try to remember this and project kindness, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/love\/10-ways-to-show-gratitude-to-your-spouse\/\">gratitude, and acceptance toward your spouse<\/a> before you start stepping into the blame game.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7-Degrading-your-spouse\"><\/span>7. Degrading your spouse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This communication failure is a definite no-go; it&rsquo;s not ok to degrade your spouse. Instead, focus on building each other up and admiring their good qualities than focusing on their bad qualities. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8-Making-assumptions\"><\/span>8. Making assumptions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making assumptions is a typical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/communication\/top-10-causes-of-relationship-communication-problems\/\">communication problem<\/a> that many of us have; we often assume that somebody is a certain way, or will behave or react a certain way. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which means that when we communicate, it doesn&rsquo;t matter if your spouse is not responding how you expect him or her to respond you&rsquo;ll still assume that they are going to, or that they are thinking it. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which can lead to insecurity and uncertainty on your part and frustration on your spouse&rsquo;s part?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9-Projecting-your-insecurities\"><\/span>9. Projecting your insecurities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-24608 size-full\" title=\"Projecting your own insecurities onto your spouse\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Breakdown-in-communication-leads-to-conflict-in-marriage.jpg\" alt=\"Projecting your own insecurities onto your spouse\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We often assume that everybody thinks in the same way that we do, but they often don&rsquo;t. &nbsp;A classic example of a person projecting their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/8-signs-you-are-insecure-in-your-relationship\/\">insecurities in a marriage<\/a> is when one spouse is unusually quiet (usually the male). &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their spouse might start to assume something is wrong, in particular with the marriage or how their spouse perceives them. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this example, this situation occurs because the perceiving spouse might be afraid that one day their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/divorce\/\">marriage might hit the rocks<\/a>, or their spouse might find them unattractive as they grow older. &nbsp;This can lead to arguments, confusion, insecurity, and unnecessary blame. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10-Not-expressing-yourself-to-your-spouse\"><\/span>10.&nbsp;Not expressing yourself to your spouse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people have a hard time showing themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They find it harder to communicate how they feel, which can lead to feelings of frustration or of not being understood. &nbsp;This classic communication failure is easy to resolve; you just need to open up a little bit more to your spouse and let them &lsquo;see you.&rsquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11-Having-unrealistic-expectations\"><\/span>11. Having unrealistic expectations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Society teaches us that there is a specific way that the ideal marriage or even lifestyle should be, but we are not all able to fit neatly into society&rsquo;s little boxes. &nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So if you have built an expectation that your marriage will pan out as they show in the glossy magazines, and then get mad with your spouse for letting you down, then you&rsquo;ve just fallen foul to unrealistic expectations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unrealistic expectations are regular culprits for causing communication failures. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember to check what your spouse expects from the marriage, relationship, lifestyle, and you&rsquo;ll allow yourselves to negotiate and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/counseling\/managing-expectations-in-your-marriage\/\">create realistic and mutually satisfying expectations together<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Also watch: Partner Expectations- What you &lsquo;need&rsquo; and what you &lsquo;want&rsquo;.<\/strong><br><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9sluTShqrY4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12-Talking-together-but-not-talking\"><\/span>12. Talking together but not talking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you chat regularly about nothing too important, but nobody is addressing the elephant in the room, or nobody is expressing their needs, dreams, desires, fantasies, and expectations. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which means everything in your communication is superficial. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This communication will set you on the fast-track to drifting apart if you allow it to, and all you have to do is open up and trust each other more.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some of the best marriages probably break down because of&nbsp;communication problems between a couple. Some couples are so in love and committed to each other but who don&rsquo;t appear to get along because their communication is awry. &nbsp; And to top it all off, marriage counselors often cite a lack of communication&nbsp;or&nbsp;communication issues in marriage as being one of the biggest deal breakers in marriage. So, understanding what communications failures you might experience in your marriage and seeking to correct them is well worth the effort, don&rsquo;t you think? &nbsp; But,&nbsp;how to fix a lack of communication in a relationship? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":29709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[2511],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29707"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/675"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29707"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29711,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29707\/revisions\/29711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}