A potent way of conveying interest, understanding, and engagement in a relationship, stands as reflection. Reflection is a statement in our own words, capturing the essence of our partners’ previous messages. This statement addresses both facts and feelings, what our partners mean or feel. Reflection of feelings reassures our partners that it is acceptable for them to have and express feelings in that situation. As we validate their affective experiences, we encourage them to unburden themselves or reveal emotionally-laden details. Since this release can heighten energy and promote a sense of well-being, how to show interest in a relationship through reflecting, deserves attention.
Reflection As A Path To Empathy
Furthermore, when we reflect feeling accurately or capture the key issue in what our partners have just said, we are more likely to be regarded as empathic. An appropriate, well-chosen reflection, shows as one way of manifesting empathic understanding and adopting our partners’ internal frame of reference. Consequently, our partners feel deeply understood. Also, they sense that we are with them and able to perceive the world from their perspective. The partner in such a relationship is motivated to relate more freely with the significant other and divulge information that has deep personal feeling and meaning.
Again, reflection of feeling helps us check for accuracy of understanding. Else, it gets our partners to own and take responsibility for their feelings and realise that feeling can be an important cause of behaviour.
How To Show Interest In A Relationship Through Reflection Headlines
1. Reformulate Your Partner’s Message In Your Own Terminology
Reflection stands as not merely a process of echoing back the words just heard. Reformulate your partner’s message in your own words. Use a sentence stem that includes, as far as possible, a word harmonious with your partner’s mode of receiving information. For instance, a partner who is a visualiser, someone who relies mainly on visual images, to gather and process information, uses expressions like “I see what you mean,” “the picture I’m getting…” or “it looks like…” In this situation, it would be more appropriate to begin a reflection with “it appears that…” or “it looks like…”
In contrast, a partner who prioritises the aural channel, uses expressions like “I hear what you are saying…” I can tune in to what you are saying…” Here, it will be more appropriate to start reflecting with “as I listen to you, what seems to be coming through is…”
2. Kick Speculations Or Suppositions And Restrict Yourself To Information Communicated By Your Partner
Reflecting features as a process of only feeding back information already given by your partner. The reflection should not add to or take away from the meaning presented. Following upon, kick speculations or suppositions representing an attempt to impose meaning on what was communicated. Doing this sets you to ideas of how to show interest in a relationship.
3. Be Brief And Concise In Reflecting Your Partner’s Message
The objective is to include what appear to be the most important or salient elements of the preceeding message, not everything said. You should strive to reflect the core essence of what your partner was trying to communicate. Reflections feature as short statements, not long, involved or rambling.
4. Rise And Be Specific To Promote Clarity And Comprehension
One of the goals of reflecting is to promote understanding. Being simple, concrete, and specific as possible, ensures that both you and your partner successfully comprehend what is being said.
5. Listen Single-mindedly To Your Partner To Promote Accuracy Of Understanding
Accuracy stems from careful listening. While your partner is talking, listen attentively. Forget about considering what to say next, or entertaining other thoughts not relevant to the encounter. This helps to open the door to ideas behind how to show interest in a relationship.
Else, include a “check-out” statement, as part of the reflective utterance, to assess the accuracy of understanding, when the affective message received has not been explicitly stated. For example, “deep down I sense a feeling of sadness, would you agree? This statement invites corrective feedback and offers your partner the opportunity to comment on the accuracy of understanding. Again, it keeps you from giving the impression of assumed omniscience or imposing meaning on your partner. Your determination to grasp meaning, motivates your partner to provide additional information and rectify any misconception.
6. Identify Themes Expressed By Your Partner
Reflection centers on what is contained in your partner’s immediately preceeding statement. However, at the end of a communication session, you may reflect the facts and feelings expressed by your partner during the entire session. This kind of reflection, called summaries of content and summaries of feelings, helps you identify themes expressed by your partner during the complete session or parts of it.
Conclusion
How to show interest in a relationship through reflection, starts you putting your partner at center stage in the interaction. This allows him or her to develop and evaluate her thoughts, idea, and feelings. Consequently, a closer bond forms between both of you.
