7 Tips To Improve Personal Relationships

The relationships we maintain with others are often not easy, which makes a lot of people look for tips to improve personal relationships.

Some people cannot properly interact with others because of shyness. Others, on the other hand, bear the mark of conflict in their history, perhaps because of a family environment where good relationships did not exist. This causes them to be born and remain in controversies that lead to nothing or look at others with mistrust and apprehension.

We are not born with the ability or inability to establish good personal relationships. It’s true that there are some genetic predispositions that make you more or less extroverted, more or less sociable. However, this is not decisive. Basically, interacting properly with others is learning. This requires the development of some skills that are within everyone’s reach.

There are also some tricks that make this learning easier. These are small tips to improve personal relationships, very easy to apply and effective in their purpose. In this article, we’ll talk about that.

Tips to improve personal relationships

1- Train the ability to listen

The activity of listening is not, or should not be, limited to silence while the other is talking. It goes further: it means putting our attention on the content and form of the message the other is trying to convey to us. It is not about staying quiet, but about going part of the way to meet what the other says, suggests or insinuates. Nor is it a question of muzzling our inner dialogue, but of interpreting what the other is telling us.

To develop the ability to listen, there is nothing better than listening. But how? Try to be silent, just trying to catch what they say. In the beginning, you will have to make a conscious effort not to let your attention slip away; however, once you gain experience, the temptation to disperse the thoughts will not be so great.

2- Practice empathy

Active listening and empathy go hand in hand. Focusing our attention on the message they are trying to convey to us opens up a possibility, that of understanding it from the context of the other and not our own. This is empathy: being able to put yourself in the shoes of others, understanding the process that makes them think as they think and act as they act.

Empathy requires an open attitude, not a critical attitude. Everyone is as they are and does what they do for reasons that we often don’t understand. By what right can we question them? In this sense, we lose a lot when we fail to establish empathy. We lost learning, experiences and the opportunity to improve our personal relationships.

3- Trust what you do and say

A confident attitude builds trust in others. When someone is hesitant or insecure, it creates a defensive response in those around them. It’s not that difficult to practice trust. Give yourself a chance, not forgetting that the person you want to be already exists within you.

Fear is one of the emotions that most hinder communication and, in certain contexts, an obstacle to personal relationships. On many occasions, stepping away from their influence only requires a little training. Do not let pauses predominate in your communication with others and look for more conversation than speech or monologue.

You don’t have to be talkative, witty or funny. You simply need to communicate naturally. In this sense, an overly calculated speech can be interpreted by the people listening as an attempt on your part to hide something… when the only thing you try to hide is that you are afraid to show yourself as you really are. Why?

4- Smile, always smile

Saying that a smile opens many doors is a catchphrase, a commonplace. But in fact, a smile breaks down barriers, creates a pleasant mood and helps reduce tension. Plus, it’s free.

As a motivation, think that a smile is a sign of peace and acceptance : a kind gesture that aligns good communication like no one else. It’s a gesture that breaks the ice and demonstrates confidence. Nothing better to create new personal relationships than starting each new encounter with a smile. In this sense, it has been proven in several surveys that people feel more confident to approach someone who smiles than someone who doesn’t.

5 -Good manners

Good manners will never go out of style or will no longer be the main keys that open all doors. Moreover, with practice, they will gain naturalness, no longer giving that impression of artificiality that some understand as falsehood, rather than respect and consideration.

Of course, there are many rules of courtesy that are nothing more than decorations. Others, however, are fundamental and should not be ignored. For example, the good habit of greeting and saying goodbye, thanking, not interrupting when the other speaks, allowing the other to pass first… Small gestures that show your willingness to get along with others.

In this regard, it is worth emphasizing the importance of one of the good manners that has been lost over time. It has to do with the cell phone. Unless you’re expecting an urgent call, it’s best to keep it out of your sight and immediate action. Of course, you won’t miss anything that important if you put your phone away for a while; on the contrary, you can earn a lot.

6- Learn to control anger

Controlling anger is like managing any other emotion, it’s also something we can learn from. There is a golden rule that can help us in times of anger. If you are upset, at first you only need to do three things: say nothing, do nothing and be quiet. It’s quite simple. Anger will hardly facilitate conflict resolution.

Here, as in other cases, it is just a matter of training. This attitude is learned by repetition. You just have to wait for the energy that carries the emotion to disperse to deliver the desired message, in the form and manner that is best for you and the relationship. At the same time, you will convey a message of self-control and will show respect for yourself and others.

Personal relationships deteriorate, most of the time, through mismanagement of anger. When it takes us over, we show our worst face. We can be very cruel, especially to the people we love, because we know their weaknesses where it hurts the most.

7- Everything (or most of it) is in the details

There are a number of attitudes or small details that significantly increase the quality of personal relationships. They are simple gestures that speak of generosity and good disposition towards others. It’s a good idea to incorporate them into your natural way of being. Some of these gestures are:

• Praise others sincerely. In this sense, we are not in the habit of sharing the good we think of others… talking is always a source of satisfaction.

• Call people by name.
• The importance of a problem is decided by the person affected.
• During a controversy, tell the other person that you value their point of view and that you want to understand.
• Show your interest in what the other thinks or feels.
• Don’t try to change anyone’s way of thinking.

Good personal relationships are the result of continuous effort. While some people arrive in this world better equipped to interact easily with others, we all have something to learn. This is particularly true when we have had a long history of difficulties in communicating and our list of conflicts is very long.

If you follow these tips to improve personal relationships and manage to increase the quality of your relationships, your whole life will be enriched. This, in turn, will increase your confidence in yourself and your sense of overall well-being. When interactions with others are constructive, we feel more motivated and happier.