There are three major interwoven factors that makes communication effective, they serve as the foundation to the success of any relationship. Imagine a building without a good foundation, it will limit the height to which the building can be built. In the same vein, without the following factors, achieving success will be synonymous to building castles in the air.

1. Openness: This implies being transparent with each other, and not hiding anything. When you are open, it gives your partner a sense of security and assurance. This is because you are being real without a pretentious disposition. You are known as you really are. In the course of your communication, when your partner senses that you are sincere and have nothing to hide, irrespective of your short-comings, s/he feel safe.

2. Understanding: When openness is well played out, it gives your partner a good understanding of who you are and what you are capable of doing. At this stage, your partner is at peace and feels safe with you. S/he tends to develop confidence in you because of your transparency. This gesture makes you predictable. There are things people will say about your partner that you can endorse as true or false.

3. Trust: is an off-shoot of openness and understanding your partner. It is worthy of note that trust is not imposed or bought but earned. The level of trust differ from one person to another. This is because your level of openness and understanding have a direct relationship with your level of trust. The higher your trust level, the more effective your communication. The more effective your communication, the higher the chances of success in your relationship.

There are different opinions to the factors above. There is a belief system that believes you don’t have to necessarily tell your partner everything. Telling him/her everything will raise dust that will eventually create problems. If we go into all the complications and sensitivity, it will be an unending debate.

So, I put it to you dear reader, which is better;

To hide things which will eventually be discovered by your partner? Or

Telling the truth and managing the emotions or issues that comes up?The successful working of openness, understanding and trust in a relationship is largely dependent on the individuals. The varying perspectives emanates from different cultures, belief systems and the environment.

Irrespective of your race, culture, geographical location; without the effective working of the above-stated factors, effective communication cannot be experienced and a successful relationship may remain a mirage.