Whether it's your first day or your tenth anniversary on the job, communicating effectively with the people you work with is always crucial. The problem is that each person has a unique way of expressing him or herself, and figuring a person out can seem as difficult as mastering a foreign language. Fortunately, everyone from Hippocrates to Jung has worked to classify people based on their personalities and modes of self-expression. Below are the four communication styles commonly recognized among today's psychologists and business consultants, along with some tips on how to work successfully with each group.
The Relater
- Relaters are considerate and sympathetic. They are focused on people and interpersonal relationships.
- Relaters are wonderful team players, since they are cooperative and easy to work with.
- Relaters are great listeners and are always willing to help others. However, their desire to keep everyone happy may sometimes interfere with getting the job done.
- Relaters dislike conflict, and will try to mollify the people involved and smooth over the issues.
- Change can upset relationships as well as work routine. Relaters can become upset by this, and so need awhile to adjust to change.
How to communicate with a Relater:
- Spend the time needed to establish rapport. Feel free to share personal experiences or common interests.
- Avoid being aggressive or pushy.
- When discussing issues, focus on how the changes may affect the interrelationships among the staff.
- If you are the boss, make sure that the Relaters on your staff are not overburdened or distracted by other people's problems.
The Socializer
- Socializers are expressive and spirited. They value relationships, acceptance, and personal prestige.
- These people are animated and expressive. They'll often speak quickly, use gestures, and may get easily sidetracked onto another story altogether.
- Socializers are great motivators because of their enthusiasm.
- Socializers usually focus on the bigger picture, and may sometimes neglect the details or the order of things. Socializers are easily bored by routine, and work best in a group setting.
- Socializers often make decisions based on intuition.
- Socializers are not afraid of conflict, and enjoy spirited discussions that involve a difference of opinion.
- Socializers love change and challenges.
How to communicate with a Socializer:
- Be willing to keep up with their breakneck conversational pace, and be patient with digressions.
- Focus on concepts and trends, and on what they might mean for the future.
- If you're the boss, give the Socializers on your team tasks that require innovation, and invite them to all the office parties. If you've assigned independent or repe
The Thinker
• Thinkers are technical and systematic. They value logic, thoroughness, and precision.
• Thinkers tend to focus on facts and technical details while communicating.
• Thinkers have a methodical way of approaching problems and tasks, and work well independently.
• Thinkers are detail-oriented, accurate, and always have the best PowerPoint presentations. However, they may sometimes become overwhelmed by the details and lose track of the big picture.
• Thinkers are uncomfortable with conflict, and feel that facts should take precedence over emotion.
• Thinkers need time to adjust to change.
How to communicate with a Thinker:
• Present your ideas in a logical fashion, and back them up with lots of facts and proof.
• Try not to rush a Thinker during a conversation or in her/his work.
• To help Thinkers cope with change, focus on the reasons that made it necessary, and the individual steps needed to achieve it.
• If you're the boss, encourage the Thinkers on your staff to share their ideas, since they tend to be quiet and reserved during group sessions.
The Director
• Directors are bold and direct. They focus on the big picture, and tend to be competitive, aggressive, and ambitious.
• Directors get right to the point, and generally use as few words as possible. Directors may come across as forceful and intimidating to others.
• Directors are concerned with achieving tasks and goals, and often forget about the needs of the people carrying out the work.
• Directors like to be involved in several projects at once.
• Directors are not detail-oriented, and can under-estimate how long it would take to accomplish a task.
• Directors are unafraid of conflict, and may seem overly stubborn in defending their ideas.
• Directors thrive on change.
How to communicate with a Director:
• Get to the point right away, and communicate your ideas quickly and clearly.
• Show how your ideas are compatible with their goals.
• If you're the boss, ensure that the Director's curt and straightforward style of communicating isn't causing conflict with the rest of the staff. If you are the boss and a Director, remember to pay attention to the feelings of your staff, not just the end results they achieve.
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Each communication style has its own strengths and drawbacks, and most workplaces rely on a mix of styles to be productive. Recognizing another person's method of communicating and adapting your own style accordingly can help get your message across, avoid conflict, and make your workplace a better environment for everyone.