15 Powerful Communication Exercises for Couples

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Without communication, any relationship will fade.

We know that a healthy relationship works because of its foundation, including respect, trust, love, and communication.

Communication exercises for couples are essential if you want to understand your partner better. It’s one of the key ingredients to having a healthy relationship. 

Relationship communication exercises can make a big difference in how you communicate. You will have a better understanding and a more harmonious relationship with better communication. 

How can couples build on their communication?

The first step in taking couple exercises to improve communication is wanting to do it. 

You need to want it to be able to do it properly. Don’t feel pressured or lose hope because you are practicing couple exercises to improve communication.

The truth is, a solid foundation, such as couples communication, is something you work on. Through the years, it either strengthens or declines. 

Read more on how to improve your communication as a couple. 

Why are communication exercises for couples important?

“My partner and I talk a lot. We’re okay.”

This is one of the most common beliefs of couples, but actual communication is more than just talking to each other.

Sure, they come home, and you ask about their day, prepare meals, and talk about your day, too, but what about your feelings, issues, needs, and the other topics that you rarely talk about?

We need to communicate our feelings and needs to a partner. Aside from that, communication is also being receptive to your partner’s needs and feelings.

Communication is about listening, talking, and understanding.

However, it’s not always that we can practice good communication with our partners, right?

We also need to work together to ensure proper and healthy communication. This is where relationship exercises for couples’ communication come in.

Knowing the different exercises to improve communication in a relationship is crucial because it helps us:

• Address issues within the relationship
• Find the proper approach to fix them and to open up
• Maintain an open communication where we feel comfortable
• Repair or remove toxic communication styles such as yelling and blaming
• Use this as a healthy example for our kids and use it with our family and friends

Communication exercises for couples can do all that and even more.

How often should you practice communication exercises as a couple?

How often should couple exercises for communication be done?

This would depend on the people involved, and here’s why.

A person’s past or childhood plays a crucial role in how they communicate. Some people don’t know how to communicate properly and believe they should not voice their concerns.

Some people think yelling, criticism, and name-calling are part of communication.

If you both understand that you need to work more on your communication style, then couples therapy exercises for communication are preferred.

Communication exercises for couples aim to help people with how they communicate their thoughts and feelings. It also teaches how a person should be sensitive to their words and how they talk and listen to their partners.

Related Reading: 10 Effective Communication Skills in Relationships for Healthy Marriages

15 powerful communication exercises for couples

Communication activities for married couples are those exercises that couples can do to improve how they converse with one another.

Powerful and assertive communication exercises for couples can go a long way in fostering a happy and healthy marriage. 

As these activities occur, communication skills are enhanced, and spouses learn to understand one another.

Of course, words are understood, that is a given, but when communication is

improved, spouses learn the meaning behind those words. This includes how their partner feels and why something is being said.

Find the top fifteen communication exercises for couples below and get started with these communication activities to strengthen your relationship. 

Effective communication exercises for couples

Communication tips for couples aim to re-establish a deep connection. Through these fifteen communication exercises, you will find which one works for you and which ones you can try first.

Couple exercise #1: Relaxing fireside chats

Thanks to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this term has been widespread.

Fireside chats are a friendly talk with someone in front of a relaxing fireplace. It symbolizes warmth, openness, and a relaxing atmosphere to talk.

It’s one of the best communication-building activities for couples who want to set aside differences and just focus on the things they love.

Begin strengthening your bond by talking first. Talk about your childhood, favorite food, bucket lists in life, and so much more. Think of it as a ‘safe’ conversation or a warm-up.

Related Reading: The Top 17 Trust-Building Exercises All Couples Should Know

Couple exercise #2: Share your emotions

Another one of the communication exercises for couples that spouses must indulge in is sharing their emotions.

For many, this may not come easily and may take years for the two to share their feelings easily. To encourage and nurture your marriage, go on a couples’ retreat and express your innermost emotions and vulnerable side to the other. 

It will help in understanding your partner and make the marriage stronger.

Learning and adhering to these couples’ communication exercises can help couples deal with sensitive issues. Sometimes poor communication does far more than limit your ability to deal with common issues.

Couple communication exercises are your best shot at building and maintaining a great relationship.

Couple exercise #3: Communication is taking turns

One lesson that we need to understand when it comes to effective communication is that we need to take turns. This communication exercises for couples addresses that.

Get a timer and set it for 3-5 minutes, then choose who will go first. Now, start the timer and start talking without the other interrupting.

The partner can’t talk because it’s not yet their turn. They could use non-verbal signs to show acknowledgment, understanding, and empathy.

This teaches the couple to respect their partner’s time and listen while waiting for their turn. It also shows respect.

Once the timer goes off, reset it, and it’s the other person’s turn.

Couple exercise #4: Look into each other’s eyes

We may have seen this with couple communication exercises with the help of a therapist, but you can do it in the comforts of your own home.

Get two chairs and position them facing each other.

Make sure you are in a room without distraction. Ask your partner to sit down; for five minutes, don’t talk. Just sit down and face each other and ensure you look into each other’s eyes.

The couple is asked to allow their thoughts to work solely on eye contact alone in those five minutes. No actions and no verbal communication.

Look at your partner. What do you see? What do you feel?

Relay what you felt, what you saw in your partner’s eyes, and what you learned through this experience.

Assertive communication exercises for couples

Communication issues weaken the relationship strings.

Couples communication therapy also discusses communication style. There’s aggressive, passive, and what we recommend, assertive.

Relationship communication exercises assist couples in understanding each other’s communication styles and developing a stronger, assertive style that will allow both partners to feel respected, valued, and heard.

Couple exercise #5: What I like and don’t like about you

Marriage communication exercises for couples aim at enhancing the love connection between the couples and improving marriage communication.

In this exercise, both partners must resort to a quiet place and list three things they like and dislike about their spouse. Then present the same to your spouse.

When your partner reads them out, praise them for their qualities and explain why you dislike the other points. Of course, both partners must never be offended and take the feedback in nicely.

Be sure to be ready before trying this couple’s communication exercises to avoid getting offended or hurt. Again, remember that you aim to work on your communication here.

This particular exercise has been proved one of the most effective communication activities for couples as it helps in strengthening communication.

Couple exercise #6: Use I instead of You

“You are so lazy! You could start helping with the household chores!”

When in an argument, we often use words like “you,” “should,” and “could,” but these words lead the other person to feel attacked and would, of course, be defensive towards you.

This will cause the argument to get bigger, with no one listening to the issue.

Another assertive communication exercise for couples is to change the words you use. This way, your partner would understand that “you” are not okay and “you” want to be heard.

Here is an example.

“Honey, I feel ______ when you don’t _____. The reason is that _____. I would appreciate it if you would ________.”

Related Reading: House Chores – The Hidden Challenge Faced by Every Relationship

Couple exercise #7: Remember when you said…

Relationship communication exercises also make you comfortable with each other. When you’ve established this, it would be the best time to try this communication exercise.

This emphatic communication exercise will ask the couple to list three statements or words used before. Statements that were used in any disagreement before that were hurtful.

Once that is done, you can work together and see if you can reformat how you said it, this time, in a more respectful way.

Couple exercise #8: Words are blades that hurt

Do you still remember the words that your partner said to you that were disrespectful, below the belt, and just rude?

The couple should create a list and then read it out loud. Then they each have a turn to explain how a single word affected them negatively.

Sometimes, we say words we don’t mean because of anger, not knowing how bad these words can be.

Communication and trust-building exercises for couples

Trust is another foundation of a healthy relationship. If you have a healthy communication with your partner, you will also have a firm foundation of security with each other.

Aside from that, these are fun communication exercises for couples.

Couple exercise #9: Trust and listen game

One partner creates a fun obstacle course with “mines or bombs” while the other is being blindfolded.

Using verbal cues, the creator of the obstacle then guides the one blindfolded through the course, making sure they don’t step on the “bombs.”

Trust, listening skills, and how you communicate will determine your success.

Related Reading: 15 Ways on How to Build Trust in a Relationship

Couple exercise #10: Copy me

Another fun communication exercise for couples that you will love. The goal is to listen to your partner and achieve the same goal.

Sit back to back and have the same set and number of building blocks. Then, one should create a structure and instruct the other through words alone. No looking!

This builds trust, active listening, and how you use words. Ultimately, work together to achieve the same goal.

Related Reading: 23 Amazing Communication Games for Couples to Try Out

Couple exercise #11: Lend me a hand

This game is another way to work on communication, build trust, and achieve the same goal.

The couple has an arm that is tied behind their backs. Then, both will communicate actions and instructions to get things done.

Tasks could include wearing clothes, fixing a room, tying shoes, etc. It may look like a simple task, but without one arm, it’s almost impossible to do it unless you have your partner with you.

Couple exercise #12: You, me & our future

When you’re done with the fun and games, lie in bed and just talk about your plans.

It could be about having kids, starting a business, or getting married.

The goal is to connect. While at it, you could also start a couple’s journal. Therapies also tell couples to do this because it keeps them on track. Know what you want with the person you love, and most of all, never forget to stay connected.

Jay Shetty, a famous storyteller, podcaster & former monk shares another fun game that could also help with your bond and enhance your communication skills.

Communication exercises for engaged couples

Couple exercise #13: “Use mirroring, validation, and empathy”

Number thirteen of the top 15 communication exercises for couples is structured conversation.

For this activity, set aside time to talk with your partner and select a topic to talk about.

Once a topic is selected both partners should begin to converse. Rather than communicating as you normally would, create more structure in the dialog by using mirroring, validation, and empathy.

Mirroring is repeating what your spouse said in your own words back to them in a way that expresses curiosity/interest. Validating in a conversation is conveying understanding.

A simple, “I get what you’re saying” is all that is needed. Lastly, empathy is expressing interest in how your partner feels by saying something like, “How does that make you feel?”

This is one of the best activities to improve communication skills and teach a deep sense of empathy between couples.

Couple exercise #14: Play positive language games

Second on the list of relationship improvement and communication exercises for couples is the positive language game.

Couples communication entails a lot of challenges. Reactive, presumptuous, and accusatory behavior is the ultimate obstacle to improving communication in a relationship. 

This is one of the powerful communication skills exercises where couples must replace negative language with positive language. 

The next time you are about to say something negative to your partner about their actions or behavior, stop and come up with a more positive way to get your message across. 

This makes individuals more aware of how they communicate, and it can reverse negative communication patterns.

A person never wants to come across as accusatory or judgmental to the person they love.

Such communication activities for married couples help break the toxic and negative communication habits in a relationship.

Couple exercises #15: Go on a trip together

The most effective and fun communication exercises for couples includes going on a trip together.

Planning and going on a trip is a couple’s therapy exercise for improving communication. It is a day or more of alone time in a new and exciting environment.

Communication between couples can become stressful when monotony steps in. Such communication skills activities give the couples the much-needed respite from the everyday rut of routine.

This activity is so effective because it allows couples to relax and unwind. Getting away does improve communication. When stress is taken out of the equation, amazing things happen. To build communication in relationships, activities that promote stress relief are required.

This allows partners to focus while conversing and connecting on a deeper level. The process of planning and getting to your destination also presents opportunities to communicate more effectively.

Communication exercises for engaged couples allow room for couples to communicate and operate as a team. Don’t spend your time on activities that take you away from communicating with each other.

Instead, focus on exercises or activities during the getaway that put you both in a position to work on positive communication.

These getaways also serve the dual purpose of communication activities for married couples to help re-establish the connection and mutual trust in the relationship, lost in the throes of everyday routine and responsibilities.

Here are a few more communication techniques for couples

• Not talking at the same time as your partner and listening to understand and not react
• Don’t lose sight of the end goal in mind. Communicate to build a strong love bond and not break it
• Watch your language. Refrain from name-calling or repeatedly serving the sins of the past in the present
• Aim to learn each other’s fears, goals, values, and dreams when communicating. Observe and learn more about each other’s personalities.

Practice the following relationship exercises for couples’ communication for resolving unfinished arguments or evaluating how happy your marriage is. 

active and uninterrupted listening

holding eye contact 

extend hugging and cuddling more often

allocating time for weekly relationship or marriage check-ins. 

Also Try: Marriage Check Up Quiz!

The takeaway

It can be helpful to read about communication games for couples that can help fix communication issues in a marriage and tips for facilitating effective communication between couples.

Practicing these communication exercises for couples will enable you to enjoy a new level of understanding and a stronger bond as well.

For more communication help for couples, it is also advisable to connect with a professional to resolve any deep-seated relationship issues.