Communication is the basis of great work, but some organizations struggle to communicate effectively. Employees and leaders need to have clear expectations around workplace issues if they want to build a great place to work. Let’s dive into communication styles and how to pick the best ones for your team:
Types Of Communication Styles
There are several different communication style types.
Some follow the typical communication styles: assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and passive. Others prefer the DiSC method, which plots people on a spectrum of dominant, influencer, steady, or conscientious.
Typical Communication Styles
●Assertive communicators strike a balance between their needs and the needs of the group.
●Aggressive communicators issue many commands and control the room by intimidating others or making them feel bad.
●Passive-aggressive communicators struggle to share what they are feeling. Instead, they may mumble or create generalized statements to voice their opinions. Passive-aggressive communicators let others take the reigns because they aren’t sure how to express themselves.
●Passive communicators let others run the show and put other’s needs ahead of their own. While this communication style can feel great to have as a manager, they can struggle to put up and communicate boundaries effectively.
DiSC Method
●Dominant personalities are confident communicators, and they want to excel at being decisive and efficient.
●Influencer personalities focus on building relationships and persuading their colleagues to see their side of things. They are outgoing and enthusiastic.
●Steady personalities want to be the dependable person others in the organization can lean on. Therefore, they tend to be patient and supportive of their colleagues.
●Conscientious personalities are very logic-oriented. They want to build systems and tend to be very risk-averse in their communication.
Why Communication Styles Are Important
Teamwork is a massive part of being an employee or a manager. As organizations grow, communication styles can clash and create harmful work environments. If you understand your colleagues’ communication style for giving and receiving information, you can better understand your team and provide information that they can understand.
If you are noticing a communication gap with your team, it might be time to take an assessment to understand communication styles and how they interact with each other.
The Most Successful Communication Style For Managers And Employees
So, with all of this information being communicated, what is the best communication style for managers and employees? Well, it’s not that simple.
Most communication styles can work in the workplace if employees understand each communication style and can interpret what’s being said.
For the most part, you should probably leave any passive or passive-aggressive communication styles at the door when communicating with employees. Leaders and employees must be transparent in their communication so things can get done at work. Some of the onus is on communicators to make sure that other employees understand what they are communicating.
If you are looking for the best communication styles, assertive or influencer communication styles can both be fantastic ways to communicate. Assertive communicators do a tremendous job of walking the line between their needs and the needs of their teammates. Influencer communicators are all about building relationships and understanding what others in the organization might need.
Conclusion
Communication isn’t always easy. Some employees excel at communication and sharing their thoughts with the world, while other employees struggle. Getting back to basics by understanding different communication styles will help you create a plan to improve your workplace.