This year I am living in a wonderful house of 6 girls. Everyone gets along beautifully and we’re all very lucky to be living with each other. But getting along so well does not come easily. Like any situation with more than one person, communication is a major key to success to smooth sailing. This seems like a very simple concept, but in practice is one of the most difficult aspects in any relationship because of the million different ways that communication is perceived and interpreted.

For example, my household has an ongoing problem of chores not getting done and dished piling up in the sink area. Five years ago, I would have been one to clean up the neglected mess myself for instant cleanly satisfaction, and then hold a silent grudge against the suspect of the clutter, eventually holding so much negativity toward them that it would be hard to interact with them without having reproachful feelings.

But now that I have lived with roommates for four straight years and figured out that all it takes is a little bit of communication, my relationships with my roommates have dramatically improved and rarely do we run into hard feelings for each other. Some tips that I use to maintain this positive relationship with them are:

- Initiate communication: When something is bothering any of us, we try to bring it to each other’s attention in a calm and mature manner. No aggression..
- Think before you speak: use the best word choices possible for certain situations.
- Place and Time: Remember to keep in mind the importance of a proper place and time for conversations to take place.

These are by no means all the steps for successful communication, but they definitely have worked in keeping my household happy and well communicated. Here is a great blog on communication skills that we tend to look over, but are essentials to getting the point across: Communication Skills Blog

photo credit: flickr

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