Relationship Essentials

Build life-enhancing relationships, restore damaged ones, and prevent communication breakdowns before they happen Using real-world examples, illustrations from their own lives, and a research-based approach, dynamic daughter-mother duo Lauren Reitsema and Joneen Mackenzie guide you through familiar relationship situations. Their suggestions can be used with your partner, coworkers, children, extended family members, and friends. Drawing from their experience teaching thousands through The Center for Relationship Education, they introduce practical, easy-to-use strategies that will help you communicate more effectively and work through relationship challenges with confidence. When applied in any area of your life, these tools can have seemingly miraculous love- and life-enhancing results.

Field research can consist of trekking across the globe to study peoples in exotic cultural settings. It can also mean strapping on your running shoes and observing behavior at the local market. Regardless of whether the researcher is “at home” or away, the development of research relationships is paramount to the success of the research project. In this book, the authors provide guidance to researchers on developing relationships in their field research. Using a myriad of examples from projects in a wide range of settings, Kaler and Beres offer helpful hints about how to navigate the personal side of conducting research—establishing and maintaining relationships, handling ethical dilemmas, and identifying how the personal identity of researchers help shape their projects.

Whether you’re newly together and eager to make it work or a longtime couple looking to strengthen and deepen your bond, Eight Dates offers a program of how, why, and when to have eight basic conversations with your partner that can result in a lifetime of love. “Happily ever after” is not by chance, it’s by choice– the choice each person in a relationship makes to remain open, remain curious, and, most of all, to keep talking to one another. From award-winning marriage researcher and bestselling author Dr. John Gottman and fellow researcher Julie Gottman, Eight Dates offers an ingenious and simple-to-implement approach to effective relationship communication. Here are the subjects that every serious couple should discuss: Trust. Family. Sex and intimacy. Dealing with conflict. Work and money. Dreams, and more. And here is how to talk about them—how to broach subjects that are difficult or embarrassing, how to be brave enough to say what you really feel. There are also suggestions for where and when to go on each date—book your favorite romantic restaurant for the Sex & Intimacy conversation (and maybe go to a yoga or dance class beforehand). There are questionnaires, innovative exercises, real-life case studies, and skills to master, including the Four Skills of Intimate Conversation and the Art of Listening. Because making love last is not about having a certain feeling—it’s about both of you being active and involved.

Simple ideas, lasting love—all in a short read In this abridged version of the New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages®, relationships expert Dr. Gary Chapman offers a trimmed-down explanation of his transformational approach to love. People express and receive love in 5 different ways, called love languages: quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. The sooner you discover your language and that of your loved one, the sooner you can take your relationship to new heights. And with this summary version of the award-winning book, you don't have to read long to find out. With disarming wit, clear explanations, and inspiring storytelling, Dr. Chapman only needs a moment of your time to transform your love life.

PAIRS Essentials offers research-validated skills training for singles and couples in all stages of relationship to improve communication, emotional connection, problem-solving and bonding on behalf of enhanced love, pleasure and intimacy. A national best practice developed by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation, an industry leader in marriage and relationship education for more than a quarter century. Designed for use by participants in PAIRS classes, offered online and through a global network of instructors trained and licensed by PAIRS Foundation.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Over a million copies sold! “An eminently practical guide to an emotionally intelligent—and long-lasting—marriage.”—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts, creating new common ground, and achieving greater levels of intimacy. Gottman offers strategies and resources to help couples collaborate more effectively to resolve any problem, whether dealing with issues related to sex, money, religion, work, family, or anything else. Packed with new exercises and the latest research out of the esteemed Gottman Institute, this revised edition of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.

Contributors represent a diverse denominational cross section and include Dennis Williams, Gary Bredfelt, Gordon Coulter, Michael J. Anthony, James Estep, Jr., Jane Carr, Mark Henze, Mark Simpson, Michelle Anthony, Richard Leyda, and Tony Buchanaan.

The most important characteristic that is needed to be successful in any leadership position – whether it’s in business, church, or your community - is the ability to work with people. Relationships are at the heart of every positive human experience. John C.Maxwell, a master communicator and relational expert, makes learning about relationships accessible to everyone in Winning With People. Within this book, Maxwell has translated decades of experience into 25 People Principles that anyone can learn. In Winning With People, Maxwell divides these principles into sections based off different questions we must ask ourselves such as: Readiness: Are we prepared for relationships? Connection: Are we willing to focus on others? Trust: Can we build mutual trust? Investment: Are we willing to invest in others? Synergy: Can we create a win-win relationship? Each section contains guiding People Principles. Some are intuitive, such as The Lens Principle: Who We Are Determines How We See Others. Others may go against your instincts, such as The Confrontation Principle: Caring for People Should Precede Confronting People. The most sophisticated leaders and salespeople will pick up on skills that will make them even better, and relational novices will learn skills that can transform them into relational dynamos.