"Relationships are about communication"
932880
Ray of hope picks up after Ray of light, the saga continues with this group of friends. I will say this cliffhanger has me anxiously waiting for the next book. I hope Rex and Kayden will become a real couple. She is his biggest support and I think he's a better man with her. Zeke and his new love Rochelle are moving fast but with current developments in Rae and Rykers relationship will Zeke put the brakes on so he can pursue Rae. Jessie needs to find a man and hopefully will at some point. Can't wait to see where E.L takes us.
1586241
My husband and I have a good relationship, but I often wonder if there's more we can be doing to foster a good relationship, especially in communicating together. I'm so happy I bought this book, because it is all about communicating your expectations, your worries and your ideas about what the marriage should be. It's about getting all these things out in the open, so you know where your partner stands on issues and how important it is to truly know each other's values and ideas. If all these things are in the open, everyone knows what to expect and what is allowable in the marriage. It's about getting boundaries out into the open, so each spouse knows what to expect from the other and what behavior would be unacceptable to each partner. I recommend this book wholeheartedly if you are working towards better communication with your partner. It is choke-filled with areas to talk about and to consider.
1928268
There's nothing like the difficult conversation that has to be done.  You may have to tell a friend something that you know will hurt them deeply, you may have to tell the boss that you are quitting after many years of a friendly working environment, you may have to break off a relationship or who knows what else.  Difficult conversations are a part of life and often a staple part of life with a teenager.  That is where this book comes in.  The authors discuss the structure of these conversations and how you can get to the heart of the matter with compassion and clarity so that each party gets through it as a team or with a minimum of emotional pain.  It also examines why they are difficult conversations.  In short it teaches how to examine situations in terms of how each person perceived what happened, how each person feels about the situation or is likely to feel when they are confronted, and the identity issues that are involved when discussing the subject.  A fine book that will help many people learn how to deal with a difficult conversation, but should be augmented by "Words that Hurt; Words the Heal" or a similar text.
1538963
Its really breaks down how we communicate with our partner in simple temrs. Sometimes we do not do the things or say the things our husband/wife need. This book helps you to understand how to communicate in a way that your partner underrstands.
1501262
This was a good quick read.  It dealt with how to establish relationships.  It provides five major connectors that are in the majority of friendships.  Some of these are just natural, but having the knowledge of them is helpful.  In a people business, having these skills, or maybe the knowledge of these skills can be highly helpful.  You will learn how to connect at a deeper level with people through the level of communication.  You can create better "click" through how you talk to people.  You also will learn that adversity will build relationships, and of course similarity.  This was a excellent book on relationships.  It is not going to give you new earth shaking news if you have a background in communication, but will give a wonderful refresher on the basic components to connections with other people.  This is a perfect book for preachers.  Also, this is a good back for those trying to make friends in life.  I believe I will do a sermon on "why you have no friends at church."  This is a good read everyone.
3226249
Excellent communicator. Makes real points that can help relationships - simple, practical ones. Speaks as to adults, not platitudes to show how much he knows. He aims to help us grow up and succeed, not talking down to anyone, but showing it is possible to see turn-around, no matter how bad a relationship has become. Read the book, and then go to a #KYLO seminar if you can.
1652622
Communication is as much listening and observing as speaking. Dr Chapman has interpreted how actions speak just as loud as words in showing our love to each other. Clearly, in the context of defining love in relationships, one should not rely solely on either words or behaviors/actions, but "read" them together.
723179
Real life ego centric issues can create relationship challenges.
623563
In his final chapter (chapter 16), the author names story telling as the capstone of the communication techniques he has been describing. True to his own advice, many of the techniques suggested in his book are well illustrated by stories and one of the pleasures of reading the full text is to enjoy their relevance and effectiveness. The flow of ideas facilitated by the stories may even mask the excellent organization of the many practical suggestions included in the book. Let me illustrate the organizational skills of the author with three easily formulated outline summaries of early chapters.

Chapter 2: INVERT EXPECTATIONS - A. Regarding modern electronic devices: 1. They make higher order communication more difficult; 2. They are  prone to miscommunication; 3. They overemphasize my message rather than our collaboration; 4. Their use overlooks the fact that communication to an audience and communication to an individual are different; 5. Their use creates the impression that completion occurs with the "send" button.
B. Expect more from each other: 1. Your psychology - be aware of: a. reciprocity, when your behavior triggers a like response; b. the copycat syndrome, doing what others are doing; c. conversational matching, where the pace, volume and tone of communication tends to mirror each other. 2. With others: a. don't permit lower order interruptions; b. take the others perspective, don't generalize to mass communication, c. make understanding a priority.

Chapter 3: LOSE YOUR FRIENDS - A. Consider a friendship pyramid of four levels: 1. Close family, best friends, crucial clients; 2. Close friends, mentors, important colleagues, fans; 3. "Named acquaintances" 4. Everyone else.
B. Respond to each level appropriately: 1. Immediately; 2. ASAP; 3. Within a day or so; 4. Later, if time permits.

Chapter 5: DON'T BE YOURSELF - A. Underlying our modern brain (ruled by reason) is our cave brain (ruled by impulse); the latter is neither civil or civilized and tends to destabilize interactions with others (ego protective). Thus, it is well to avoid impulsive responses and stifle gut reactions.
B. Restraint is strengthened by: 1. Not talking, 2. Delaying replies, 3. Resisting the urge to "be right", 3. Avoiding put downs, insults and attempts at irrelevant humor. 4. Take pride in what you didn't say.
C. Always Be Containing by: 1. Deescalating: a. Stop rebuttal, b. Pause to reflect, c. Find something to apologize for, compliment or acknowledge. 2. Redirecting: a. go back to root issue, b. ignore tangents  c. start over, 3. Exiting: a. ask "anything else", b. give a plausible excuse for leaving, c. ask for a "time out"
D. Keep technology out of the cave.

Dr. Tumlin employs this expositional vein throughout the book which was written to illustrate why so many of our old habits and assumptions need to be modified if we wish to be understood in this age of digital communication. The author clearly and reasonably justifies each of the alternative techniques in his toolkit for achieving good communication which, as he explains, leads to good relationships and is the basis for a good life.
1289933
I've followed Dr. Markman's research for many years, as he is one of the most highly regarded of researcher clinicians in the area of love relationships.  He does very well to repeatedly drive home basic points about communications within relationships, the breakdown of which stirs many problems.  "If only we could communicate," couples so often say to me as a therapist; and it's true that there's little that cannot be resolved if the HOW of communication is seen as preliminary over the WHAT of communication.  Dr. Markman's techniques are invaluable in teaching the HOW.
1442983
The advice is good and clear, however, strong commitment and basic good communication skills are needed in a relationship in order to be able to put this into practice.
4888697
Does a great job at grouping people by their personality and what fills their bucket.  Most relationship books say "better communication" but that is so vague and means something different for everyone.  This helps you understand what makes the special people in your life feel loved and will help you foster relationships that build each other up and help you appreciate each other more.
1611093
Ever wonder what went wrong in your first marriage or first long time committed relationship? Its usually communication, the lack thereof. Ms Perel does a very good job of describing how sex is in fact, communication. Read it, talk about it, with your beloved.
629429
It is difficult to communicate ones thoughts and ideas about ones own spirituality or faith if one doesn't use the right words.  If you can accept that language is metaphor, it is difficult to communicate on a clear  and consistant basis what it is that connects you to your inner-most self,  to your society, and to the cosmos.  Dr. Hammann is trying to bring a  refinement to communication by separating out the strands of religion so  that one can distinguish between faith, myth, religion, tradition, ritual,  ideology, and beliefs.  The term myth is often used incorrectly to imply  something false, but the myth that Joseph Campbell spent his life studying  is based on something more than falsehood.  This book will give additional  insight into how myth and religion are related and can be distinguished  from the other common words we use to discuss our understanding of who we  are and how we connect.
1664612
I looked at other books on relationship communications, and many either had to do with general relationship-building or with anger management.  But what about working through those small conflicts that can arise day-to-day and have the potential to erode or take a toll on a relationship?  Where the other books brushed past these scenarios, this book provides insight and tools that will result in a relationship with better understanding and compassion when used to work through conflicts big and small.  The book is a quick read overall, and it is also written so that you can "jump ahead" to the tools, work back to the insight and self exercises, or read straight through from beginning to end.
4290066
This book is about relationships.  As the Director of St. John Catholic Newman Center, one of the most active Newman centers in the country, I am reminded everyday how important it is to have a sound understanding of what is required for healthy relationships.  College is a time when young people first have almost unlimited liberty to explore healthy and not so healthy relationships.  This book is a clearly written "user's manual" which helps to explain the human person in terms of his need for relationships, what is needed for healthy relationships, and common reasons that relationships fail.  It is filled with important insights made clearer with copious concrete examples.  Therefore, I find it to be an invaluable tool that I will encourage all of my students to read.  If you are a slow reader, as I am, you are probably cautious about making sure the next book you read will be worthwhile.  With that in mind, let me encourage you to make Genuine Friendship your next read.
395909
The author's main point is for a marriage relationship to flourish by using alternative ways of interacting and by really understanding the other person's point of view to nurture the relationship instead of causing further harm by fighting.  Even if one mate reads and applies the principles taught in the book, the relationship would greatly improve.