The 12 Communication Styles of an Ideal Employee
Style of communication is the way people think, act, and express themselves.
People’s communication styles can be based on their personality type. Some people are more introverted while others are extroverted.
In the same way, there are different personality types that come in different styles of communication.
The communication style for employees should be a mixture of formal and informal.
In the workplace, it’s important to maintain both professional and friendly relations with your colleagues. Communication style for employees is an important factor in the workplace. When it comes to the job interview, you need to choose the right style that is appropriate for your company.
Employees should be able to express themselves in the workplace through their communication style. Communication is not only a way of sharing information but also a way of forming relationships with others.
The proper use of language can help create an effective working environment for employees and enhance their productivity. However, it is important to choose the right communication style for your company.
There are many benefits of knowing the proper communication style in the workplace.
The main purpose of this article is to provide you with some useful tips on how to choose the best possible communication style for your business.
What is a Communication Style?
Communication style refers to the way in which individuals or cultures communicate. It can be determined by an individual's personality, dialect, and the tone they use in their writing.
Communication is a part of our everyday life. It is important for people to understand each other across time and space – to be understood is one of the most fundamental parts of our personality.
With so many people communicating at once, it becomes difficult to discern between positive and negative emotions, truths, and lies, what you should know about someone else versus what they should know about you. Communication is the process of exchange between two or more people.
It involves using words, gestures, and other forms of non-verbal communication to achieve a goal or express an idea. In business, communication plays a key role in building relationships with clients and colleagues alike.
To communicate effectively, it is important to use the right style. It should not be difficult for your employees to understand what you are trying to say, and it should help them communicate effectively with their coworkers.
Communication styles can be determined by many factors, including age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and experience.
You may have noticed that certain individuals communicate in a very unique way. It is important to be able to recognize the different communication styles and understand what type of style would work best for your business.
12 Communication Styles of an Ideal Employee
Every company has a unique culture and values. The way employees communicate in the workplace is a reflection of the company’s culture. It is important for employees to have a detailed understanding of their company’s values, norms, and rules before they start working at the company.
Communication styles of an ideal employee most commonly include:
- Active listening
- Constructive criticism
- Empathizing with others
- Self-care
The communication styles of an ideal employee can be divided into two categories. The first is the style of communication that is not influenced by the situation and the other is the style that changes according to the situation.
The first category includes person-to-person communication, email communication, and telephone communication.
The second category includes text messaging, video chat, voice chat, and social media conversations. Each type of communication has its own advantages and disadvantages with both sides gaining through understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
Further in this article, different types of communication styles are discussed.
① Tactical – “Achievements matter more than relationships”
Tactical communication is the term coined by Chris Argyris to describe the strategic use of interpersonal relationships in organizations. It is an approach for organizing around complexity, which attempts to balance the need for action with understanding.
Tactical communication can be achieved through four key components:
- feedback loops
- collaboration
- personal empowerment
- participatory decision-making.
⒈ Feedback loops
These are used to monitor progress and create new plans when necessary.
⒉ Collaboration
It is used to involve different stakeholders in identifying problems and solutions together.
⒊ Personal empowerment
It allows individuals to manage their own projects without depending on others at work, reducing frustration and stress levels.
⒋ Participatory decision-making
This means that all members of a group have an equal say in decision-making processes.
② Trusting – “Emotions are central to decision-making”
Trusting communication is the act to which one individual trusts the words of another, to be honest.
Emotions are central to decision-making, and when they are not communicated it can cause an imbalance in trust. By better understanding how emotions can affect decision-making, we may be able to reduce the negative impact of lack of trustful communication.
Emotions are central to decision-making and how we communicate with each other.
How can we know that the person who is talking to us is being truthful? Through emotions, of course. Emotions are the most reliable indicators of truth.
Emotions can affect decision-making in both explicit and implicit ways. It also explores the effects that emotional cues like facial expressions and tone have on various decisions, their success rate, and their outcomes. Emotions are used to communicate our values, beliefs, and desires.
The more we know about the other person, the better our decisions will be. This is because we can understand them and their feelings better than anyone else.
Emotions help us to evaluate others as trustworthy or untrustworthy by how they communicate with us and what those emotions say about their intentions.
③ Appreciative – “Relationships trump rules as the guiding principle”
Appreciative communication is the term for the idea that relationships trump rules as the guiding principle.
Appreciative communication is not just about “being nice.”
It is about understanding others and what they need to thrive, while also understanding your own needs. Appreciative dialogue gives people room to grow and explore their unique gifts, while also opening up possibilities for growth in yourself.
“Appreciative Communication” is a new approach to relationship building in the workplace. This approach places importance on mutual learning and capabilities, creating space for connection and collaboration.
The underlying principle of this approach is that relationships trump rules. Relationships are paramount because they establish trust, help establish social norms, and facilitate more effective negotiations.
Some companies are taking this idea to heart, implementing more intentional relationships with their employees leading to more positive outcomes for the company.
A number of studies have shown that people can be remarkably bad at understanding other people's feelings, which is why they are not only more effective but also happier in business. Emotions provide the means to understand others better and hence make smarter decisions for both parties.
④ Quick-witted Engaging – “Creativity is key”
What's a quick wit and engaging communication?
The term quick wit refers to the ability of a person to come up with witty and amusing statements without having any prior knowledge of what they are talking about. The term engaging communication refers to the ability of a person to engage in meaningful conversations, have interesting discussions, and build connections with people.
Having a quick wit makes you more likely to have an engaging conversation with people. It also boosts your confidence as you feel more confident in your abilities when you can quickly come up with witty responses. What's more, is that it helps you express yourself better so that you're able to connect with others on a deeper level.
In most cases, quick wit is often associated with creativity-related skills such as being able to think on your feet or being able to come up with new ideas. It's also closely related to creative thinking and how it can help you solve problems in your daily life.
Research has shown that people who are able to quickly come up with witty responses tend to be more engaged in conversations, which is why they're usually better at communicating on a deeper level. This can be seen as a key skill for those who want to build rapport with others and also do well in business.
⑤ Advocacy – “Power is shared equally among group members”
Advocative communication is an interactive technique in which the speaker's intent is conveyed through their body language, tone, and gestures. There are several different techniques that can be used to create this type of communication.
The main goal of this technique is to keep the audience engaged with the speaker, giving them a sense of power in relation to them. This technique has many applications in business and politics.
It can also be used for personal use. Advocative communication can be used in many different ways. For example, you could use it to get people to take action or agree with you on a certain issue, or maybe just for fun. You can also use this technique when you want your point of view heard by others.
One thing to note is that this technique is different from active listening. Active listening is about the speaker's message and how it relates to you, while advocacy involves using your body language and tone of voice to convey what you think about the issue at hand.
For example, if someone asks you to do something, you can use advocacy to convey your intentions and ask for a certain action from the other person. If someone is asking you for help or advice, you could use this technique to let them know that they have a good point about what they're doing and how it relates to others.
Using this technique can also be helpful in personal relationships. For example, you could use it to express yourself better or convince others of your point of view.
⑥ Navigational – “Respect for authority and guidance from those in power”
Navigational communication is a form of communication that is based on a person's position, which can be either the person's role or rank.
The first types of navigational communication are those that are prescribed by rank or office, such as military ranks or knightly titles. This type of communication is based on the status of the speaker and what they have to say. The second type of navigation involves understanding who has power over whom, and how one should speak with them. These types of navigational communication are self-imposed rules for speaking with people in power.
It has been argued that these types of navigation are best served by being taught to children from an early age so that it becomes just as natural as breathing for them to know how to behave around those in power.
Navigational communication is a type of social language that uses the rules and conventions of an organization to describe who can say what, when, where, and how. It helps to define the hierarchy in any given group or institution.
Navigational communication also allows people to understand where they stand in relation to the group or institution they are part of.
The skills of navigational communication can be used in all types of organizations, including religious institutions, corporations, schools, and sports teams.
Navigational communication is also used by individuals who need to understand their place in an organization or how they should speak to those in power.
The skills of navigational communication can be used by anyone, including politicians and military officers. These individuals use the rules of their organization as a guide for communicating with people they need to communicate with.
⑦ Decisive Leader – “Autocratically lead subordinates with expertise and experience.”
The decisive leader is someone who can remind people of the importance of the mission and provide direction but does not do this in a forceful or aggressive way that subordinates may perceive as disrespectful.
The leader's communication style should be used to promote trust and collaboration among subordinates.
Decisive leaders who want to gain the trust and respect of their subordinates must be able to communicate effectively.
These decisive leaders know what they want and how to get there, but they also know when to listen and when not to listen. They make decisions with calculated risk analysis in mind.
Decisive leaders are decisive. They do not waste time trying to convince their subordinates of the benefits of what they want to accomplish.
They know that people will follow them if they have a clear vision and plan for success, but if their plans fail then they must be able to adjust accordingly.
Over time, these types of leaders have been delivered a message that is not in line with how effective leadership is supposed to be in the modern workplace. The workplace is no longer the battlefield, and leaders are not required to win every battle. These leaders do not need to be autocratic and use their authority as a means of gaining power.
Decisive leaders need to be able to communicate effectively in order to manage their teams and get the most out of them.
⑧ Competitive Spirited Communication – “Win the argument”
In a competitive environment, it is important for leaders to show that they are capable of winning the argument.
They should not allow their subordinates to dominate the conversation or be overly critical of them in front of others.
Leaders must have confidence in themselves and their ideas so that they can be able to express themselves clearly and passionately.
When leaders fail to show confidence in their ideas, it can cause problems with others who may not be able to get on board with the plan that they have proposed.
Decisive leaders need to know how to speak about an issue in a way that will not put others offside.
Competitive Spirited Communication (CSC) is the act of using competing arguments, ideas, or perspectives in order to win an argument or persuade someone.
CSC is the act of using competing arguments, ideas, or perspectives in order to win an argument or persuade someone. With competitive-spirited communication, it is possible to win arguments by coming up with better arguments that are more convincing than the other person's.
The most important thing with competitive-spirited communication is you need to be able to understand why your perspective is better than your opponent’s. Competitive spirited communication is the act of using competing arguments, ideas, or perspectives in order to win an argument or persuade someone.
Competitive Spirited Communication (CSC) is a type of persuasion that involves communicating in a way that seeks to defeat your opponent's arguments and convince them that you are right.
⑨ Open-Mindedness – “Open mind can lead to successful cooperation”
Open-minded communication is one of the most important skills that successful people have. It is the ability to listen to the other person with an open mind and an understanding heart.
Open-minded communication is not only about listening; it also requires active participation, which includes understanding your own motives and emotions, questioning your assumptions, and using empathy.
Open-Minded Communication is the first book to tackle the topic of how to thrive in an uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing world.
It presents a framework for understanding the barriers to successful cooperation and offers practical tools for overcoming them. Open-minded communication has been associated with positive outcomes such as better teamwork, higher levels of satisfaction, and less conflict.
The way we communicate can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications that create a lack of trust and ultimately miscommunication or an argument.
However, open-mind and communication come with understanding and mutual respect. It will help you to resolve conflicts and create a better work environment.
While having an open mind might be difficult for some people, it can lead to successful cooperation and clear communication.
⑩ The Diplomatic Communicator – “Identify and resolve problems diplomatically”
Diplomatic communication is not just about expressing your point of view. It is also about finding the best way to express it in order to reach the intended audience.
As a Diplomatic Communicator, you are tasked with finding creative solutions to communication problems. Diplomacy requires flexibility and creativity beyond what is expected of most communication professionals.
The Diplomatic Communicator has three main skills: Reducing complexity, recognizing common ground, and improvising. These skills are applicable across all areas of life – business, personal, family-related issues – making this role highly sought-after by employers.
Diplomatic Communicators are skilled at dealing with complex issues, often involving multiple parties. Diplomacy involves the ability to communicate without violating social norms and diplomatic protocol. This means that you must be able to use language in a way that is appropriate for the situation.
Communication problems can also be a result of the emotions involved. A Diplomatic Communicator will be able to find common ground with other people and work towards a resolution in a way that both parties can agree on.
⑪ The Friendly/Humble Communicator
In the past, people used to be very formal with their communication. They would try their best not to offend others. In the current digital world where conversations are happening online, public figures have been seen going off-script and becoming more friendly and humble.
Companies have also followed suit with this trend of being more personal and informal with their communication. They avoid using a lot of jargon and jargon-free language in their copywriting to make it friendlier for readers.
The next step towards being a friendly communicator is being presentable on social media channels which is why some companies have started hiring social media managers as well as having PR professionals assist them in writing their content which makes it easier for them to be friends with the public as well as brands they are communicating with through copywriting.
The ability to be friendly and humble is a very important skill that many people struggle with today. This might be due to the fact that we live in a time where we are constantly pushed for social media likes and shares. Social media can make us feel like we need to be talking and acting in order to get attention when in reality, we should be developing relationships with others rather than always looking for validation from others.
As people transition into this new digital world, the need for humble communication becomes more pronounced. It can help build stronger relationships between individuals and groups.
⑫ The Quiet/Calm Communicator
The Quiet/Calm Communicator is often the most effective communicator because they are able to avoid a lot of drama.
This person is very competent in their field and has a high sense of self-worth. They think they bring a lot to the table and they know it. They also make sure they are not taking up more than their share of the workload.
In friendly conversations, this person will often speak in a calm tone with appropriate pauses between sentences.
In more tense conversations, they will not speak as loudly or as fast as others might expect them to do so or demand them to do so.
The Quiet/Calm Communicator is a technique developed by Susan Cain. It was developed to help people master the art of conversation. In this technique, people are taught to take deep breaths and be more mindful when speaking with other people.
In order to master the art of conversation, it is very important for us to understand our own natural tendencies in conversing with others. We should always keep in mind that we are not alone when we speak and there will always be a response from anyone who hears us – even if it’s silence or a forced smile.
Response Styles and their Characteristics
There are five different response styles that can be recognized by how a person responds to a question. These response styles are known as the FUD triangle – Factual, Urgent, Descriptive, Dramatic, and Deliberative.
Here are the characteristics of each type of response style and what they mean for the individual and the company.
⓵ Factual
Respond with facts and information related to your experience with the topic.
⓶ Urgent
Respond with urgent or pressing information that needs to be conveyed immediately. If the other person doesn't know about this, they will feel lost and not know what to do next.
⓷ Deliberative
Respond with statements like “I think”, “My opinion”, “It seems like” or “It looks like”. The response is more general and not directly related to the question asked.
⓸ Dramatic
Respond with statements that use words such as “looks”, “seems” or “I feel”. The person doesn't want to be too specific about their answer because they don't want to appear too knowledgeable.
⓹ Descriptive
Respond with detailed and specific answers to the question. This response style is often used when you want someone else to take action or make a decision based on your answer.
Conclusion
What is the best way to respond when someone asks you a question? Most people think that it’s important to give an answer, even if they don't know what to say. However, there are actually some other things that we can do in order to improve our communication skills and increase our confidence.
The ideal communication styles are not just one but many. What is important is to identify your own communication style and to know the other person’s style as well. With this knowledge, you can have a better understanding of how to communicate with them effectively.
