Relationship Skills, Friday Period 3

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The alert amongst the workshop attendees might notice that they had half as much teacher this week. Spoiler alert: it was the mean one.

"Jaskier could not be with us this week, as he is monstrously hungover and-slash-or struggling to write his next quote-unquote 'masterpiece,'" Yennefer said, with finger quotes. "Possibly both. His voicemail was a bit vague, but he did," she would begrudgingly allow, "tell me. Which neatly ties in with the subject of the day: communication. Communication is the key to any healthy relationship. If the way your best beloved lets the dishes pile up in the sink drives you crazy, you have to tell them that so they'll know they need to do better, otherwise resentment will build up and eventually you'll just explode and have a giant, possibly relationship-ending fight. Over dishes you don't even have to haul water in from a well to wash. Or, if you tell them and they continue the behavior, that tells you something about them as well, doesn't it?" Yennefer paused for a moment, and then said in a surprisingly impassioned outburst, "Or, if you use a wish from a djinn to bind someone to you through destiny, you should really tell them that from the outset so that they're not left wondering if how they feel about you is real or magical manipulation years into your relationship, whilst standing on top of a mountain next to a dead dragon," Geralt.

She paused again, composed herself, and said, "So: communication. Several of you have indicated this is an area you struggle with. The internet offers several helpful tips about communication, one of the most common being to phrase things as 'I' statements about how the issue at hand impacts you, rather than 'you' accusations such as, 'You left the damn dishes in the sink again.' This is supposed to help the other party understand your point of view or...something like that." Yennefer had gotten bored at that point.

"We were going to pair you up to practice this, but wouldn't you know it, that was Jaskier's job, so instead I want you to think about an issue that you've had either in your current relationship or a previous one, and try framing it as an 'I' statement rather than centering it on the other party. Hmm? Let's begin."

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[tellmehowstuffworks]

As yourself.

During the Lecture

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That example was a bit specific, Yennefer.

Do the Exercise!

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"Remember, phrase your complaints as, 'It makes me feel extremely annoyed when you do this extremely annoying thing," or similar."

That was how it worked, right?

Talk to Yennefer

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She might be working on a rather scathing list of 'I' statements for the next time she saw Geralt of Rivia.

OOC

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This week has been rough, y'all.