5 acts of communication
1. Acknowledge
To acknowledge is to share with the other person your opinion and feelings about them.
It is about being able to show and feel how important they are to you, and which things you value positively and which need improvement.
It is accepting that my opinions and emotions about others are the result of my own history, which doesn’t define others, but does influence how I see myself and how I relate to others.
2. Listen
To listen is to see the other person and help them feel understood.
It is the ability to pay attention to their emotions, explanations, actions, and the feelings that people and facts provoke in them.
It is accepting that the world of others is different, and that it is possible to empathize, to approach their world and make them feel that you are by their side.
3. Offer
To offer is to propose to the other person an option that considers their needs.
Effective offering requires the willingness to accept the rejection of a specific offer and to listen to the other person in order to propose actions that benefit them.
4. Ask
To ask is to explain to the other person the need for them to do something specific.
It can be a plea, a suggestion, an instruction, an order, or even a demand, depending on the situation and the relational context.
5. Agreement
An agreement is a negotiation process that allows two or more people to coordinate future actions or interpretations of how things are.
It is a process that generates future statements and enables the creation of commitments that effectively coordinate future actions.