Have you ever felt frustrated with someone at work who however hard you try, just doesn’t seem to get you and what you’re trying to say?
It could be that you’re just not communicating with them in a way they are able to understand – perhaps you’re giving them too much detail and context when they need top line only? Maybe you’re going in with small talk when they want ‘straight to the point’?
We all favour different ways of listening, making decisions and responding. So, it could be that you need to flex your communication style to interact with this person in a way that allows you to be heard.
There are many different models and frameworks to help us recognise our own communication style and that of the people we’re interacting with. But whatever framework you choose, it’s really valuable to understand the influence and importance of these styles for effective communication and strong working relationships.
By knowing our own preferences and looking for indicators of how others prefer to receive information and be communicated with, we can build flexibility into our style to allow others to hear what we want to communicate.
There’s no right or wrong style and they aren’t designed as labels or to put us into boxes. But they are really helpful to make sure the message gets heard!
Recognising that how you communicate may not be how someone else communicates can open the door to more effective conversations and interactions.
When you look at this image, what do you see? What’s your preferred style?
