My wife and I attended a Smalley Relationship Center conference this past weekend. During the conference, Dr. Gary Smalley mentioned that there are six levels of communication. As you go from the first to the sixth level, the amount of depth in a relationship greatly increases:
1. Cliches (good morning; how are you)
2. Facts (looks like it's going to rain)
3. Opinions- this is the level where most relationships stay; when we find people we disagree with, we often don't build a deeper relationship with them; when we find people we do agree with on many levels, we will often seek to deepen that relationship.
4. Feelings- once two people have worked through their opinions (similarities and differences), they are free to express how they "feel" about certain issues or aspects of life.
5. Needs- only when someone is completely comfortable with another person will they share their vulnerability and express their needs to that person; only after they know that person cares about them.
6. Beliefs- these are the deeply held principles that are the basis for the opinions you have, how you feel about issues and the needs you have in your life.
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