The 5 Foundations of Open Communication
Understanding Perceptions,

Belief Systems,

Core Operating Systems and

Blind Spots Increasing Trust
Staying Open to Learn
Taking Self-Responsibility

The 4 Basic Communication Tools
Reflective Listening
Giving Feedback Clearly
Receiving Feedback Non-Defensively
Communicating a Task
Families are crucial in the development of human competence and character.

Recent research tells us that the family's influence is even greater than we have imagined. Families play a major role in how well children do in school, how well they perform on the job as adults and how well they contribute to society in general.

Families have the first and foremost influence on our development.
Research indicates that many problems of individuals and society are related to dysfunctional family relationships. For instance,

early teen sexual acting out,

youth suicide,

teen pregnancy,

runaways,

substance abuse,

childhood and adolescent depression,

child abuse and neglect,

family violence,

and civil unrest are known to be aggravated by problems in the family.
What makes families strong?

Researchers have worked hard to answer this question and agree that strong, healthy families have nine traits in common (Krysan, Moore, & Zill, 1990). These traits have been found in families of different types, races, social backgrounds, nationalities, and religious beliefs.
The 8 traits are:
caring and appreciation
time together
encouragement
commitment
communication
cope with change
spirituality
community and family ties .