All anyone really wants is communication. Meaning without the sarcasm, without the bravado, without the hidden agenda, the pretense, the judgments and accusations. Just some straight talk. This requires some vulnerability, asking real questions, making sure you’re defining things in the same way when it seems you’re not on the right page, looking for the commonalities, and choosing what battles to fight and what to let go.
How else will you be heard? How else will you hear the other person?