1. describe one of the best days of your life so far. who was with you? what did you do? 2. think about “The One That Got Away.” if you have lost touch with a friend, romantic partner or family member, describe why you believe the break occurred. would you want to rekindle the relationship? do you believe that person would? 3. “my mother and/or father were right.” what advice did your family give you that helped you or turned out to be true? 4. write a letter to someone who hurt your feelings recently. tell them exactly what hurt you and what you would accept (if anything) as an apology. 5. what does your future look like in ten years? which of your significant others do you feel certain will still be part of your life? 6. if you and your partner are from different cultures or co-cultures, what barriers did you have to overcome in your relationship? how did you overcome them? are there additional (or the same) barriers you need to address in the future? how might you address them? 7. how did you learn your cultural values (masculine vs. feminine, individual vs. group, tolerance for uncertainty vs need for certainty, concentrated vs. decentralized power)? through enculturation or acculturation (or both)? how have those values affected your communication and relationship with your partner? give an example of how you and your partner have developed a “third culture”? 8. give an example of a difficult listening situation with your partner where the outcome was not favorable. analyze the situation: what made it difficult? what barriers may have existed? now consiber how you could have improved your listening in this situation. how might you have responded to acknowledge that you were listening and understood what was being discussed. 9. do you tend to be assertive, aggressive, or passive in how you verbally communicate with your partner? give an example of when you were not assertive. why weren’t you? how could you have better asserted yourself? 10. think about a recent communication exchange you had with your partner. what nonverbal cues were present? (think about the nonverbal codes we discussed in class as well as are discussed in the book, such as oculesics, kinesics, chronemics, etc.). did you have difficulty interpreting the nonverbal cues of your partner? did the nonverbal cues communicate anything that was in conflict with the spoken message? explain. 11. think about a time when you were experiencing a strong emotion and how that affected your communication with your partner. what emotion were you feeling? what nonverbal cues do you (think) you exhibited? how did your partner react to you? what affect did the nonverbal expression of your emotion have on your partner and the subsequent communication? 12. analyze your primary conflict management style (competitive, accommodation, avoidence/ withdrawal, compromise, collaboration). what makes you think this is your primary style? is it the same or different than your partner’s primary style? in what ways to do your conflict management styles hamper effective communication with your partner? or enhance? 13. think of a conflict situation that you had with your partner where you were not satisfied with your behavior during the interaction. in hindsight, what would you have done differently and why? 14. think of a recent communication exchange with your partner that began as a seemingly casual conversation but ascalated into a conflict. can you identify a reason for this (emotional condition, difference in values, etc.)? is there anything you could have done to avoid the conflict? what cues might you each have looked for to understand the other’s mood? 15. would you describe your relationship with your partner as one of choice or circumstance? has it changed? what initially attracted you to your partner (short-term attraction)? (think about interpersonal attraction, which holds true for friendships as well as romantic relationships.) are any of those short-term factors still an issue? have different factors emerged as your relationship developed (long-term attraction)?
