Let’s begin with the first topic
What is your communication style?
Are you expressive?
Do you often lead the conversation?
Are you more comfortable listening to a conversation and
then supporting a viewpoint or do you prefer to analyze a conversation and
ask questions before stating your viewpoint. As you no doubt have experienced
there are varied communication styles.
In this topic you’ll identify your primary communication style.
The one you use often, you’ll also learn ways to adjust your approach based on your
recipients communication style.
Case study
Ginny Rometty is the chairman, president and CEO of IBM. If you’ve had the opportunity to hear one of her interviews or if you’ve seen her videos, you’d agree that she is a powerful speaker. Apart from her tremendous business know how, she is widely acknowledged for her communication skills. Executives and others who have had the opportunity to be in meetings with her vouch for the fact that she personally connects with everyone in the room with incredible eye contact, inspiring people to follow her lead. It is important to have good communication skills but it is also important to recognize that different people have different communication styles.
Why is it important to identify communication styles?
At the best of times the communication process can be ambiguous in terms of what is said and what is actually received. This ambiguity is further influenced by perceptions, biases and reactions. And on top of this all of us have a preferred communication style. So what do you do to avoid the confusion? Well, to begin with, you don’t have to change your style. What is important though is to realize that when you’re talking to someone with a different style than your own, you can adjust what you say and how you say it. This will help you to avoid accidental collisions when you’re communicating with other people. It’s like learning the rules of the road, how fast to drive, when to stay in lane and when to pull over. When you understand communication styles, yours and the person you’re communicating with, you can improve the quality and effectiveness of your communication.
What does it mean to have one of these communication styles?
Primarily, each one of us falls into one of these four common communication styles, based on our personalities and the way we like to communicate. There’s no right or wrong style. It’s just part of who we are. Review the communication styles to know more about the characteristics of each style.
- Analyzers tend to communicate with facts. They ask questions and seek detailed information in order to make systematic decisions.
- They dislike making errors or being rushed into action unprepared and unorganized.
- They rarely consider any problem too big to overcome
.
- Drivers tend to use controlling and direct language. They like to take charge to get the job done in their own way with decisive, strong opinions
- They are result-oriented and want to be measured on the results they achieve.
They like to be in competitive, risky situations
- Relaters tend to listen first and then connect with others.
- They are good listeners, seek harmony in the group, and value stability and acceptance.
- They highly value their relationships with associates as part of their overall measurement of success.
- Expressers tend to share emotions. They easily express excitement and place high value on enjoying what they do and helping others do the same.
- They are talkative, enjoy brainstorming, and often ask for input from others.
- They dislike dealing with detailed, boring facts, too much information, and routine.
- They like new challenges and trying new ideas.
Each style has its strengths and weaknesses, and no one style is better than the other. You might have a primary communication style, but there might be aspects of other styles in you. And that’s fine. What’s important is knowing your style and the style of the person you’re communicating with and using this information to tailor your message to make yourself better understood