Effective communication comes in handy in all kinds of situations, especially when working towards a common goal or building connections with others. Whether your aim is to brush up on your charades skills for game night or just lookin’ to build a stronger bond with your partner, there are a ton of creative ways to achieve better communication as a couple.
Better Communication = Better Connection
It’s impossible to develop and sustain positive relationships without healthy communication. Open, honest dialogue helps maintain understanding and trust, which are crucial to long-term relationships. As we change, our priorities and needs change as well. To be able to grow separately while growing together, we need to be able to express our needs in a communication method that cultivates mutual respect and support. This creates a deeper and stronger connection to one another.
Communication exercises don’t have to be “by the book”. They don’t have to feel dull and uninspired. Sure, you could grab a list of questions from the internet to ask each other, but there are so many other creative activities that provide much more fun and substance. Doing things together can facilitate moments of joy, connection, and growth.
1. Tackle an Escape Room
Put on your thinking caps and figure out how to “escape the room”! Escape rooms are immersive strategy games with themed puzzles and exercises designed to promote critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.
2. Rebuild a Bathroom
Okay, so you don’t have to go as far as rebuilding a bathroom, but think about tackling a significant DIY project together.
Our master bath rebuild has been one of the most impactful experiences we’ve shared to date. It’s one of the most difficult and risky DIY ventures to take on at home. Brian and I learned a lot about each other and ourselves as we navigated demolition, sourcing, waterproofing, tiling, and more. Late nights occasionally turned into all-nighters as we wearily shifted from project mode to work mode. Despite the blood, sweat, and sleep deprivation, we communicated our way through brand new lessons and some serious trial and error.
If you’re up for some hands-on fun, dive into the adventure of remodeling or working on a project together.
3. Grow a Garden
There’s quite a bit of care and preparation that goes into gardening. Unfortunately, I can’t personally share any insight into this area since Brian and I have a tendency to kill things. However, from what I’ve gathered from others, gardening requires patience, adaptation, and attention to detail. Growing a garden as a couple allows the opportunity to identify gardening goals, preferences, and delegation. As an added bonus, it’s often said that tending to a garden is therapeutic and therefore creates a safe space for difficult conversations.
4. Work with Animals
Working with animals can also be an effective communication-based activity. Whether you choose to volunteer together or take care of one of your own, you and your partner assume responsibility for caring for the animal(s) as a team. There are many tasks related to caring for animals that can be discussed and delegated between a couple, ranging from feeding and exercise to grooming, love, and attention.
5. Strategize Holiday Get-Togethers
Holiday get-togethers can be a massive challenge for couples, especially those with big families. Add in the social atmosphere of holiday parties and other events, and the end of the year can become a mish-mash cluster of to-dos for five weeks straight.
I don’t know about you, but that’s not my kind of jam! Strategizing get-togethers with your partner, even outside the holiday season, is a great communication activity. Not only are you both able to determine and address your compromises, but you are also communicating your preferences to the other parties involved.
Brian and I have learned that we genuinely enjoy and purposely create relaxed holidays. This goal helps us strategize and communicate boundaries with ourselves and others.
6. Organize an Event
Organize or host an event together to experience last-minute scrambles, quick decisions, and task delegation. Depending on your personality, this might push you to your limits! Sometimes things don’t go as planned, but all can work out with good communication and a good partner. Organize a large volunteer effort or community outing for the added challenge of meeting new faces with different personalities.
7. Game Night
Tap into your competitive side with a fun-filled game night! Whether you’re spelling words for points while playing Scrabble or teaming up with your partner for a group trivia event, game night is one of the more common suggestions to strengthen bonding and communication. It’s a great way to discover camaraderie, tells, and reactions to winning or losing.
8. Get Lost
Intentionally get lost—in a responsible way, of course. Take a drive, walk the city streets, or even hop onto public transportation. Explore with no destination in mind and see where you two end up. When you become lost, you have to rely on one another to figure out where to go, what to do, and how to get home.
9. Hit the Road
Travel together to get into the nitty-gritty of teamwork and communication. It’s an experience that can push people into unpredictable or stressful situations. What better environment is there for learning how to respect and speak to one another? Hitting the road is an excellent way to learn about each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and problem-solving skills.
10. Cook a Meal
We all have to eat, right? So, why not make it a team effort? Slow down and enjoy the process together. Cook a complete meal. Decide who will go grocery shopping, prepare the meal, make the sides, and cook the main course. Split up cleaning afterwards, or draw straws if that’s your thing. Whatever is discussed and decided, have fun with it all. Cooking a meal together is a hands-on activity that can encourage easy connection and conversation.
Keep Having Fun
All fulfilling relationships require maintenance. Without it, they deteriorate, much like a home, car, or any major appliance that hasn’t been kept up. Effective communication is one of the best methods to maintain a strong bond. Even when we’re happy with our communication compatibility, it doesn’t hurt to try new things to keep the fun and conversation going. Life should be fun, after all.
What other fun activities encourage good communication?
