Identify communication skills and behaviors that strengthen intimate relationships.

Identification should include

• developing active listening skills
• demonstrating openness and honesty
• compromising, finding common ground, and respecting boundaries
• emphasizing negotiation during disagreements
• balancing work and home.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

• What are active listening skills?
• What does it mean to fight fair?
• What does it mean to respectfully disagree?
• What are some problem-solving skills that could benefit a marriage?
• What are some strategies for improving a marriage?

Communication

• How can personal needs be properly expressed in a marriage?
• What are some common mistakes couples make when communicating personal needs?
• How can you improve your communication skills within a marriage?

Leadership

• What is meant by the art of compromise?
• What are some ways to diffuse growing tension or anger within a relationship?
• How can conflict be managed so everyone’s opinion is heard and considered?

Management

• What factors cause stress within a marriage?
• How can the use of time-management skills benefit a marriage?
• Why is it important to set individual and combined priorities in a marriage?