#relationship #communication # Iterative Communication Iterative communication is the process of active listening, repeating what one heard, allowing the other person to make corrections, and repeating until both people are satisfied that the communication has been made successfully. This is both most important and most difficult in challenging, emotionally charged situations. My partner might say something that triggers me in some way, and it's on me to not react, but rather to try to calmly state what I heard, so that my partner can clarify or make corrections. Miscommunications are pretty common, especially when two people do not share a common language or even if they grew up with regional and cultural differences. Sometimes an attempt to iteratively communicate will be received as putting words in someone's mouth, i.e.: Person 1: \<statement about how they feel\> Person 2: "So what I heard was XYZ" Person 1: "I didn't say that, don't put words in my mouth" In this case person 1 missed an opportunity to reach for connection and clarify the statement that was misheard by person 2.