Just because you know how to talk does not mean you know how to communicate.

Yet so often we think we know how to communicate at an imtimate level with our partner because we know how to talk.

It's just not so. Intimate communication in a relationship is much more than sharing the events of your day over dinner.

Intimate communication involves sharing joys and sorrows, victories and losses, hurts and healings, and everything in between.

Another communication involves knowing where your partner is emotionally most of the time.

We are always communicating

Human communication expert Paul Waltzslavick said,

"You cannot not communicate."

If this is true, the question then becomes

"what am I communicating to my partner on a regular basis?"

Not only by what you say, but by what you do, as well as what you don't say and don't do.

True communication

True communication is a two-part endeavor.

It's the responsibility of the person talking to make sure that the message is getting across. At the same time, it's the responsibility of the person listening to make sure to get what the other person is saying.

To do this well, you have to do the opposite of assuming you know what someone means. You must learn to check out what you think you are hearing.

Remember that it is not what we don't know that hurts us as much as what we know that is not so.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.