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Oct 26, 2024 · To boost your communication skills, it may be helpful to first familiarize yourself with communication styles and learn the different types of communication. From there, you can focus on better conveying your ideas and being a more effective conversation partner to build stronger relationships.
- Overview
- Passive Communication Style
- Aggressive Communication Style
- Passive-Aggressive Communication Style
- Assertive Communication Style
- What Kind of Communicator Are You?
- How to Improve Your Communication Skills
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We encounter a ton of different personalities at work. Some are easy to get along with; whereas, others are harder to vibe with. How well we're able to work with people often depends on our workplace communication style.
So, what exactly is a workplace communication style? Your workplace communication style is the manner in which you share ideas, information, and issues in a professional setting. A combination of verbal and nonverbal cues, it affects how you interact, learn, share, and collaborate.
Research shows that effective and appropriate communication is linked to greater productivity, better organizational health, and increased employee satisfaction. How we communicate can also play a huge role in determining our personal and professional growth and success.
Our communication style is based on our unique characteristics, which drive our approach to sharing and exchanging information with others, says Octavia Goredema, a career coach and author of “Prep, Push, Pivot.”
Identifying your communication style will allow you to enhance your interactions with others and play an important role in building your personal brand.
These are some of the characteristics of a passive workplace communication style:
•Reluctance to speak up: Someone with a passive workplace communication style may hesitate to express their thoughts, opinions, ideas, and needs. Instead of speaking up, they may wait for others to take the lead.
•Conflict avoidance: Passive communicators often go to great lengths to avoid conflicts or disagreements. They may choose not to give others feedback or address issues directly.
•Difficulty setting boundaries: They may find it difficult to decline requests or express their own limitations. They might agree to tasks or responsibilities they are uncomfortable with because they are unable to say “no.”
•Indirect communication: They may use indirect language or non-verbal cues to convey their thoughts or emotions, which can sometimes cause misunderstandings and confusion.
•Low self-confidence: A passive communication style often stems from a lack of self-confidence. The person may doubt their own abilities, which can prevent them from expressing themselves openly. They may fear rejection, so they may hold back their ideas or opinions.
These are some of the characteristics of an aggressive workplace communication style:
•Dominance: People who communicate aggressively tend to try and control conversations and situations. They may interrupt others, raise their voice unnecessarily, or use forceful body language to assert dominance.
•Bluntness: Aggressive communicators may be blunt and direct in their communication, sometimes to the point of being rude or tactless.
•Disregard for boundaries: They may ignore personal or professional boundaries, which can be inappropriate and uncomfortable.
•Resistance to compromise: They may resist compromise and aggressively try to put their point across or ensure things are done their way.
•Personal attacks: This communication style can involve insults, personal attacks, or name-calling. The person may attack someone's character or abilities in an attempt to assert their own superiority. In turn, they may be defensive when questioned or challenged.
A passive-aggressive communication style combines elements of both passive and aggressive behavior. These are some of the characteristics of this communication style:
•Covert criticism: Passive-aggressive communicators may use sarcasm, backhanded compliments, eye-rolls, or disrespectful gestures to indirectly mock or criticize someone’s ideas or actions.
•Indirect communication: Rather than addressing issues head-on, people who communicate passive-aggressively resort to more subtle, indirect tactics. They use veiled language that leaves room for ambiguity and later gives them an opportunity to deny their words.
•Silent treatment: Rather than communicating clearly, they might give people the silent treatment or withhold important information as a form of expressing displeasure.
•Subtle sabotage: They may subtly engage in actions that undermine other people’s projects or initiatives.
•Involvement of others: Instead of addressing issues directly with the concerned parties, they might complain to colleagues or superiors to garner sympathy or support. They might frame themselves as victims, deflecting responsibility for their passive-aggressive behavior.
These are some of the characteristics of an assertive workplace communication style:
•Straightforwardness: Assertive communicators express themselves clearly, using straightforward language to convey their thoughts and ideas. They are often direct and to the point, says Morgan. They can say “no” or set boundaries when necessary.
•Confidence: People who communicate assertively speak with conviction, projecting confidence and self-assurance.
•Respect: Assertive people respect others’ opinions, feelings, and autonomy. They acknowledge differing viewpoints and seek common ground.
•Ownership: Assertive individuals take ownership of their feelings and communicate them without blaming others. They use "I" statements to express emotions.
•Expressive body language: They use open and engaged body language while communicating. For instance, they maintain eye contact and use gestures to reinforce their messages.
Our fast and free communication styles quiz can help give you some insight into how you interact with others and what it could mean for your interpersonal relationships, both at work and at home.
These are some strategies that can help you improve your workplace communication skills, according to the experts:
•Develop self-awareness: Take some time to self-reflect and become more aware of your communication style at work. Identify your strengths and pay attention to areas that could use improvement. It can also be helpful to ask your colleagues for feedback on your communication style.
•Decide what you want to be known for: Goredema recommends deciding what you want to be known for at work and then considering how your communication style can support that reputation.
•Listen actively to others: Active listening is a strategy that will serve you well, says Goredema. She explains that it involves listening fully to what the other person is saying, without interrupting, making assumptions, or jumping to conclusions based on their words or nonverbal cues. You can show the person that you're engaged and actively listening by nodding, maintaining eye contact, and asking clarifying questions during the conversation.
•Ask open-ended questions: Close-ended questions typically evoke a “yes” or “no” response, whereas open-ended questions can reveal underlying motivations, beliefs, and attitudes that may not be apparent at the outset, says Goredema.
•Adapt to your audience: Tailor your communication style to the preferences and needs of your audience. Adjust your approach depending on whether you're speaking with colleagues, clients, or superiors.
Feb 4, 2022 · A direct, “tell-it-like-it-is” style of communication may be interpreted as overly critical to an employee who is sensitive to criticism, no matter how constructive. How can you adopt a more flexible communication style?
As with direct/indirect communication styles, misunderstandings can arise when preferences are misaligned. Solution : discuss and adapt to verbal and non-verbal preferences on an individual basis. Practice emotional intelligence and be alert to subtle responses in others’ demeanor.
Dec 11, 2023 · Communication breakdown is a prominent symptom of underlying relationship misalignments. Addressing and understanding these styles becomes imperative in fortifying the foundation of any...
Jul 18, 2024 · A communication style is a characteristic way of conveying messages, including the implementation of verbal and nonverbal cues. Why does this matter? Because being aware of your own patterns and those of others can lead to more effective interactions and fewer misunderstandings.
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Apr 27, 2011 · A communication style (also known as conversational style) is the way in which we share information with others through language. Although we all like to think we're saying exactly what...
