Workplace Communication Styles + How To Find Yours

This data underlines the importance of solid workplace communication. There are several communication styles in the workplace that shape how information is conveyed. This style of communication can be overlooked in the workplace, even have voices drowned out by more aggressive communicators. Many passive communicators fail to effectively communicate their wants or needs for fear of reproach or embarrassment, especially in the workplace. Assertive communicators don’t need as much support as other communication styles, but you can still help them express themselves even more clearly by using active listening. Active listening is a conscious and engaged way of listening, where your sole focus is to understand what the other person is saying.

Understanding and respecting individual communication styles is also key to successful workplace communication (Long et al., 2021). In diverse work environments, individuals bring a host of different communication styles that reflect their personalities and cultural backgrounds. A range of communication styles exists (Long, Johnson, MacDonald, Bader, & Wall, 2021). On one end of the spectrum, we might find the assertive style, characterized by clear, direct communication.

Use the worksheet to help you understand your communication style and evaluate how effective it is in meeting your needs. Sometimes people don’t respond to messages and email because it may require a lot of time out of their busy schedule, and they could potentially forget about it. Ask yes or no questions and break up your list of questions into shorter groups that are easier to respond to quickly. For example, someone who says “I’m fine” while crossing their arms and avoiding eye contact may actually be communicating discomfort. Learning to read and regulate nonverbal signals improves both empathy and emotional intelligence. Aggressive communicators express opinions and feelings in ways that violate the rights or emotions of others.

Aggressive communicators tend to use blunt, occasionally confrontational language that can disrupt team dynamics. In extreme situations, they https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/latinfeels-com may also use insults or personal attacks against co-workers. Aggressive nonverbal cues, such as glaring stares, can come across as intimidating.

• Neither is “right” or “wrong,” but understanding these preferences can help you express yourself more clearly and better understand others.
• Even on competitive teams like sales or law, assertive communication empowers team members to effectively express their ideas and collaborate with others.
• According to Owston, understanding how someone communicates is crucial in building effective relationships.
• This two-way mode of communication can be done in-person or virtually, either through a face-to-face verbal or digital exchange through social media, emailing, or even video conferencing.
• By putting effort into being a skilled communicator, you can improve your relationships, prevent misunderstandings and understand other people better.

Consider an office manager addressing a conflict between coworkers while trying to preserve their professional relationships. While diplomatic communication can prevent misunderstandings and conflicts, it needs to be blended with honesty to avoid excessive “sugar-coating” (Watson & Hill, 2015). An important part of communication, nonverbal cues can convey powerful messages and reinforce or contradict verbal communication. Empathetic communicators often use verbal and nonverbal feedback to show understanding and concern. 43.3% of respondents believe that emojis can lead to misunderstandings, while the same percentage of respondents said they do not. This polarization highlights the ambiguity of emojis, which may be interpreted differently depending on individual circumstances and cultural backgrounds.

Think of it as a strategic tool designed to empower your client with insights about them and actionable steps they can take to be more effective in your role. ✅ You might be someone who favours transactional leadership, democratic leadership, or even autocratic leadership. What philosophy you gravitate to is the philosophy you should promote. If you want to be an arresting communicator, an arresting leader promotes your strengths. ✅ If you want your organisation to be successful you need to have a clear understanding of its purpose…It’s that simple. If you have any behavioral health questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare or mental health care provider.

Make Sure It Reflects Organisational Culture

Beyond improving team dynamics, knowing the types of communication styles can help you handle difficult conversations with more confidence. Whether you’re managing a conflict, providing feedback, or simply trying to improve morale, the right communication approach can make a significant difference. When you understand your team’s different communication styles, you’re better equipped to bridge gaps between employees who think and communicate differently.

An example is friends chatting about their weekends—the communication may shift topics fluidly, with more interruptions and less adherence to strict conversation rules. While informal can foster closeness, it’s not appropriate or professional in formal or public settings (Steinberg, 2007). Reflective communicators tend to take time to process information and may seem more quiet or reserved.

Indirect

In the workplace or at home or in our social lives, we all have to do a little bit of everything. But most of the times, one style is dominant and defines how we generally communicate. As an Intuitive communicator, you like the big picture, you avoid getting bogged down in details, and you cut right to the chase.

An optimised L&D experience, one that caters to a range of communication styles will enhance the performance and productivity of your organisation. Finding the right leadership style is paramount to understanding how to optimise workplace performance. Now, of course, different departments will have different communication types, but provided that everyone is singing from the same hymn book, your organisation will have a cohesive, synchronised foundation. There are several key challenges that transformational communicators face in the workplace.

But consider how this impacts other employees, especially if you’re their supervisor or collaboratively working on projects. If you find that you are the Joker, it may help to reexamine where the line is for your team or company. If the group is overall pretty casual and is okay with having some fun, you may be in the clear.

“The best way to improve our communication is to learn and to practice,” said LaFave. “It helps to set specific goals and work through them as we engage in everyday interactions.” “Active listening means listening not just with our ears but also with our eyes and with our heart,” said LaFave.

Passive-aggressive communication is a style in which individuals digress their feelings and disapproval indirectly rather than openly addressing them (McDougall & Pollard, 2019). Communication styles refer to the methods and ways individuals use to interact with one another. It encapsulates the patterns and structures of both verbal and non-verbal communication, including the type of language used, the tone of voice, and even body language (Watson & Hill, 2015). Figure 3 shows that Instagram is the most popular social media platform among college students with 80%. 24 participants use Instagram to communicate with others since Instagram is very common among the younger generation; people can post pictures and send each other direct messages. 13.3% of the participants like to use WeChat, which is because some of them are international students who can easily communicate with their friends in China through the platform.

One way to improve your communication skills is to focus on your listening skills. “This might look like practicing active listening and trying to identify another question to ask about whatever is being discussed,” said LaFave. Instead of simply reacting to what someone is saying, responding thoughtfully might be a good goal to set. To help you understand someone’s communication style, both LaFave and Owston recommend reflecting on your level of emotional intelligence as well as that of the person you’re talking to.

Clear and concise communication means everyone understands their roles and responsibilities, leading to more efficient collaboration and successful outcomes. In addition to someone’s communication style, a project can also be affected by how clear someone’s message is. For example, if someone is speaking in a direct and concise manner, active listening can help you determine the reasons behind that choice. You might assume they are being aggressive, but in reality, they may just be short on time. Of course, personality is connected to culture, upbringing and other environmental factors. This style involves demonstrating genuine interest in team members’ lives, listening effectively, and encouraging open discussions.

Let’s discuss the impact of communication styles on relationships, conflict, and decision making. If you aim to develop assertive communication skills, focus on active listening, building empathy, increasing self-awareness, and standing up for yourself while respecting others’ viewpoints. As a Functional communicator, you like process, detail, timelines and well-thought-out plans. You like communicating in a step-by-step fashion so nothing gets missed. By contrast, there are some people, like the Intuitive communicators, who like to skip all the detail and just jump right to the end. But this can drive you nuts; especially when you think about all the important bits of information the Intuitive person is potentially missing.

“Style fluidity is a useful strategy for anyone who is looking to become a competent communicator,” said LaFave. Understanding these styles is crucial as we navigate the digital landscape. Asynchronous communication allows for thoughtful responses, but can also lead to misunderstandings.

For one, transactional communication does provide sufficient scope for feedback. There’s also the problem that transactional communication doesn’t allow people to build on existing ideas to develop a rapport. As beneficial as transactional communication can be, there are a handful of challenges that transactional communicators, and the workplace as a whole, should employ to hone their communication prowess. The trick to improving people skills, and cultivating a happy and productive workplace, is to know which type of communication is best suited to which situation. As we’ve already alluded to, each communication style can elicit specific emotions, and consequently actions, from whoever is on the receiving end. From empowerment to valued, and on the other end of the spectrum, frustration and concern.

✅ As we’ve already mentioned, different people respond to different communication styles. This two-way mode of communication can be done in-person or virtually, either through a face-to-face verbal or digital exchange through social media, emailing, or even video conferencing. There are a handful of barriers that prevent communicators from being assertive. Communication styles quiz (adapted from “DBT Made Simple” by Sheri Van Dijk) Assertive Style I feel that I am allowed to express my thoughts and emotions to other people. I pay attention to both my own needs and those of other people, and I am good at making compromises. I always try to listen carefully to what other people are trying to tell me, and I make sure they know that.

Encourage open dialogue, focus on problem-solving, and make sure that expectations are clear. Recognizing their behavior and fostering an environment of transparency can help to reduce misunderstandings and improve collaboration. You’ll notice your efforts are working when team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, disagreeing with one another, and asserting their needs.