Back to the Basics: The Essence of Communication in Relationships

By Dr. Marvin Hall

How we communicate with others directly impacts the relationships we develop in life. In Back to the Basics: The Essence of Communication in Relationships, author Marvin Hall outlines how you can become effective communicators in the technological and impersonal world of today and how you can help to maintain and sustain relationships.

Written in easy-to-understand language, Back to the Basics captures the essence of two foundational and lifelong concepts needed in all walks of life: communication and relationship building. Some of the topics Hall explores include the following:

• The importance of active listening
• Barriers to communication
• Methods to improve communication
• How our dominant senses influence perception and sensation
• The use of “I” statements
• Gender-based communication
• How birth order and personality affect relationships
• Unhealthy relationships vs. healthy relationships

Using examples relevant in our everyday lives, Hall brings new insights into the way people communicate with each other and create relationships that are healthy and successful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 19, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426938559

Dr. Marvin Hall

Marvin Hall earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, and completed post-doctoral study under many of the top psychology professors in the world. He co-authored A Call to Leadership. Hall lives with his wife, Chris, in North Carolina.

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Copyright 2010 Dr. Marvin Hall.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4269-3843-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4269-3844-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4269-3855-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010909980

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Trafford rev. 01/03/2024

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Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Part One:     Communication

Chapter One  The Importance of Active Listening

Chapter Two  Conceptual Model for Active Listening

Chapter Three  The Way Dominant Senses Can Influence Effective Communication

Chapter Four  Using I Messages Rather Than You Messages

Part Two    Companionship

Chapter Five  Unhealthy Relationships vs. Healthy Relationships

Chapter Six  Male vs. Female Perspectives on Intimacy

Chapter Seven  Say No to Happiness-Busters

Part Three    Character

Chapter Eight  Birth Order and Personality or What Makes You the Way You Are

Chapter Nine  Intra-personal Perspectives about Effective Communication and Relationships

Chapter Ten  Interpersonal Perspectives about Effective Communication and Relationships (Haptonomy)

Closing Remarks

References

Works Cited

Preface

I’ve been around leadership development as a practitioner for 43 years. I have had 37 years of experience (in one and only marriage). I still have friends from my grade school days. My college roommate and fraternity brother stay in touch frequently. After reading Marvin’s (Dr. Hall) latest book Back to the Basics: The Essence of Communication in Relationships, it caused me to reflect back on the subject matter in the first four sentences. What I discovered is relationship is the power of being successful in: marriage, raising a family, leadership, and vocational pursuits.

I like the first part of the title Back to the Basics, because I was reminded that communication makes or breaks relationships. Communication is a lifelong learning opportunity. This book has ten chapters of easy reading, but challenging opportunities to improve your ability in the relationship arena. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting because I was either being reeducated or learning something new. After finishing the book and reading Some Final Thoughts to Further Understand the Importance of Communication in Relationships, it caused me to start working on my personal development chapter by chapter.

This book is a keeper. Find out what you are doing that is right for your relationships. Find out about things that you may have been given feedback about but didn’t pay attention to. Enjoy the read; you will find that you will be passing on some wisdom nuggets from my friend’s book. Last, tell the people in your relationship circle to get their own copy; yours will be marked up.

Ralph Mitchell, Chairman

Nehemiah The Leadership Company

Acknowledgements

I would like to give thanks to all who encouraged and supported my efforts to write this book. First and foremost, a special thanks goes to my wife, Virginia Chris Warren-Hall, for her quiet, but powerful role in encouraging me to complete this book. Thanks also goes to my friends and business partners, Nehemiah, The Leadership Company, Ralph Mitchell and Calvin Riley, for their support and encouragement.

Also, I want to thank Dr. Patricia E. Bonner as contributing editor of this book.

The Purpose of the Book

How we communicate with others directly impacts the relationships we develop in life. The two are inseparable in that they work sequentially to reveal how socialization plays out in life prior to birth while we are still in our mothers’ womb and as infants