She should think these ideas out first to make sure that Dave will understand what she is talking about or he may end up even more confused. All of these techniques may help them to both understand what each other is talking about a little bit better, but it might not solve the problem for them. There is more to a conversation than just what the word means to the person. There are other factors that affect what a person means. Nonverbal communication is not even brought up in Richard's theory.
Nonverbal actions have a lot to do with what a person really means.
If Krista and Dave sit down and have a discussion defining what a relationship is to them and decide to become a couple, both sides may not really know what the other one feels about the situation. Krista and Dave may decide to have a relationship that is from Dave's perspective of dating. If Krista has her arms crossed, is leaning away from Dave, and is not looking at him she may be demonstrating that she is not very happy with their situation. This is fine in Richards's theory as long as they understand what each other means. However, they may not understand how each other feels.