Looking at your communication styles and not sure which is best for the workplace? We walk through the four core ones plus how to find your own.
A good speaker is a good speaker for a reason.
There are lots of components that come together. But one of the main ones is communication style.
In the workplace, how we communicate is essential.
You can build a positive working environment, empower employees and eliminate inefficiencies by being clear and to the point.
Sound good?
Well, we’re here to wrap up some key points including:
- Why communication styles are important
- Types of communication styles
- Plus, how to find your communication style
Let’s get started.
Why are communication styles important?
Communication styles are important because not understanding them can lead to misunderstandings or even friction in the workplace.
By being aware of how people communicate and the differences between them, you can more accurately understand how to deliver your message.
After all, as humans, we’re always communicating.
From our posture and our body language to what we say and more importantly, how we say it.
If you want to build a positive work environment, then you need to embrace different communication styles and encourage your people to be aware of them too.
In professional environments, effective communication is crucial for teamwork, leadership, and career advancement.
When it comes to learning, adapting your style to fit different situations and individuals aids in resolving conflicts and achieving mutually agreeable outcomes.
Types of communication style
There are four main types of communication style. It is argued that there are more types, but these further styles are nuanced versions of the original four.
The four types of communication style are:
- Passive communication
- Aggressive communication
- Passive-aggressive communication
- Assertive communication
Let’s look at each one in more detail.
| Communication style | Description | Example | Scenario |
| Passive | Conflict-avoidant, submissive | “It’s not a bad idea” | Defusing |
| Aggressive | Dominating and intense | “That’s a rubbish idea” | Negotiations |
| Passive-aggressive | Indirect, pointed | “Not your best idea…” | Never appropriate |
| Assertive | Confident, direct | “Respectfully, I disagree” | Usually always appropriate |
Passive communication
Passive communicators try to avoid conflict and try to sound humble. But it often comes across as weakness or subservience.
Due to their unwillingness to approach uncomfortable situations, it can often lead to misunderstanding.
This approach can be useful when dealing with difficult customers for example, but it’s not useful in a collaborative space.
Aggressive communication
Aggressive communicators often dominate discussions. They’re loud, have intense eye contact and usually break personal space while talking.
Aggressive communication isn’t open to feedback or collaboration, and so it quickly makes team members feel uncomfortable, unsafe and unwilling to participate.
It’s usually best to avoid an aggressive communication style where possible.
Passive-aggressive communication
Passive-aggressive communicators take both techniques and the result is the humble tone masking more aggressive sentiments.
A passive speaker tends to avoid direct conflict and ends up creating discrepancies.
Assertive communication
An assertive communicator is confident but doesn’t monopolise the conversation. They encourage cooperation and collaboration.
They speak their mind, but they don’t force their perspective.
From a workplace perspective, this is probably the most effective style of communication to use day to day.
How to identify your own communication style
Identifying your own communication style involves a combination of self-reflection, observation, and feedback.
Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you pinpoint your style:
- Self-reflection: Ask yourself, ‘how do I usually communicate my needs and feelings?’, ‘Am I usually direct or indirect?’, ‘How do I respond to conflict?’
- Assess your reactions: Start taking notice of how you react to others and how you respond to conflict in particular. Are you defensive, do you get angry?
- Observe patterns: Pay attention to patterns in interactions. Are you sarcastic? Do you criticise? Are you generally quite quiet?
- Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from trusted friends, family, or colleagues.
Using the right communication styles on your LMS
Now you know what communication styles exist and how to find yours, you need to think about which style you want to use on your LMS.
Truly effective communication in the workplace won’t rely on just one style.
Regardless of which industry you’re in, you’ll likely balance a range of styles across your workforce.
Understanding which style to use comes down to understanding what audience you’re speaking to.
For example, let’s say you’re creating a learning course for nurses and one for salespeople.
Your learning content for sales will likely be slightly more aggressive than average, and certainly more aggressive than the learning content you make for the nurses.
Wrapping up
Understanding your communication style might not feel important when it comes to building your learning content, but it can have a huge impact.
Test your communications across your learning content and use your findings to tweak going forwards.
Want to learn more about how to improve your learning platform? We’re best placed to help. Book a demo to see our full range of features in action. And remember, we offer limitless customisations which means you can create a truly tailored learning platform to suit your needs.