Building Mutual Ground

Every big decision you make needs to be mutual and where you both don't have any hidden feelings about it.

Disagreement on trivial things is normal but decisions about housing, cars, visa applications are things where you both need to be completely honest and willing to compromise over.

Being empathetic in conversations is another key to become a good listener.

However, there might be cases that the speaker is sharing the same experiences you had before. You might somehow overcome it, but the speaker hasn’t.

You may use your own experiences to show your relation to ...

Constructive criticism clearly describes the behavior that you want changed. Examples:

• Don’t say they are irresponsible, provide the dates when they have come in late.
• Don’t say they are disrespectful, reference how they roll their eyes and sigh.
• Don’t say they...