3. Communication Styles
• Communication styles are patterns of
behavior that others can observe
• Understanding your style….
– achieve greater self-awareness
– develop more effective interpersonal relations
– greater sensitivity to and tolerance for others’
styles
– essential for managing key relationships
• self • others • member of a group
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4. Fundamental Concepts
• Individual differences exist and are
important
– i.e., gestures, assertiveness, expression
– each person has unique style
– identify by careful observation
• Differences tend to be stable
– Jung’s Psychological Types
– born with disposition that is exercised and
developed over least preferred preferences
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5. Fundamental Concepts
• Four basic styles
– Intuitor, thinker, feeler, and sensor
• Style is a way of thinking and behaving
– not an ability
– a preferred way of doing things
• Productive relationships are developed by being in
sync with others
– Important advantage when understanding others
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6. Communication Style Bias
• A common form of prejudice
• More likely when styles differ
• What can you do?
– Develop an awareness of your own style
– Learn to assess the style of others
– Learn to adapt your own style to theirs
– “Speaking the other person’s language” is essential for
relationship skills
– Adapting is style flexing
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7. Total Person Insight
Everyone has had the experience of
saying or doing something that was
perfectly acceptable to a friend or
coworker and then being surprised when
the same behavior irritated someone
else.
David W. Merrill and Roger H. Reid
Personal Styles and Effective Performance
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8. Communicational Style Bias
• Two important dimensions of style:
1. Dominance
2. Sociability
• Dominance
– The tendency to display a “take-charge” attitude
– an important dimension in interpersonal relationships
• Everyone falls somewhere on the dominance continuum
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9. The Dominance Continuum
Low dominance High
dominance
• more cooperative • give advice freely
• eager to assist others • initiate
demands
• less assertive • more
assertive
• more willingly controlled in Organisations • seek control
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10. The Sociability Continuum
• Sociability is a tendency to seek and enjoy social
relationships
– measures if you control or express feelings
• Determining your preferred style
– Identify yourself on the sociability continuum
– Ask four or five people who know you well to identify
you on the continua
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12. When the dominance and sociability
dimensions are combined, the framework
for communication style classification is established.
12
13. Communication Styles Model
• The model represents four
communication styles:
– emotive - director
– reflective - supportive
• Two factors:
– dominance - sociability
• Model will help identify your most preferred style
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14. Emotive Style
High Sociability/High Dominance
• Displays spontaneous, uninhibited
behavior
• Displays the personality dimension
described as extroversion
• Possesses a natural persuasiveness
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15. Director Style
High Dominance/Low Sociability
• Projects a serious attitude
• Expresses strong opinions
• May project indifference
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16. Reflective Style
Low Dominance/Low Sociability
• Expresses opinions in a formal,
deliberate manner
• Seems preoccupied
• Prefers orderliness
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17. Supportive Style
Low Dominance/High Sociability
• Listens attentively
• Avoids the use of power
• Makes and expresses decisions in a
thoughtful, deliberate manner
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19. Variation Within Your
Communication Style
• Zone I
– Display behaviors with less intensity
– May be difficult to identify the style
– Not be as obvious in their gestures, tone of
voice, speech patterns, or emotional
expressions
• Zone 2
– Display behaviors with greater intensity
– Can sometimes observe behavior change
when upset or angry
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20. Variation Within
Communication Styles Model
• Excess Zone
– Characterized by intensity and rigidity
– Can also be labeled the "danger" zone
– Often inflexible and lacks versatility
• Extreme intensity in any quadrant can interfere
with good human relations
• People may move into the excess zone when
stressed, threatened, or insecure
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22. Tips on Style Identification
• Focus on observable behavior
– The best clues are nonverbal:
• Gestures, posture, facial expressions, and speech
patterns
• Determine where the person falls on the sociability
and dominance continuums
– This is a process, do not rush to identify
– Different situations will bring out different behaviors
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23. Total Person Insight
The best way to break a habit is to establish
another habit.
For example, if you’re a constant talker, stop
talking.
Work at it.
Kimberly Alyn and Bob Phillips
Authors, Annoying People
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24. Versatility: The Third
Dimension
• Versatility means acting in ways that
gain a social endorsement
– Makes others feel comfortable
– Is independent of style
• Style flexing
– Deliberate attempt to change or alter style to meet the
needs of another person
– Temporary effort to act in harmony with other
communication styles
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25. Flexing to an Emotive Style
• Take time to build a social as well as a
business relationship
• Display interest in a person’s ideas,
interests, and experiences
• Do not place too much emphasis on
details
• Maintain a fast and spontaneous pace
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26. Flexing to a Director Style
• Be specific, brief, and to the point
• Present the facts logically and be
prepared to provide specific answers
• Maintain fast and decisive pace
• Project strength and confidence
• Messages should be short and to the point
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27. Flexing to a Reflective Style
• Be well organized
• Be straightforward and direct
• Be accurate and realistic when
presenting information
• Messages should be detailed and
precise
• Speak slowly and systematically
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28. Flexing to a Supportive Style
• Show a sincere interest
• Identify areas of common interests
• Draw out other’s personal goals and
views
• Listen and be responsive
• Do not be pushy
• Put priority on relationship building
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29. Style Flexing: Ptifalls and
Possibilities
• If sincere and honest, style flexing can:
– help build constructive relationships
– be a valuable, productive strategy
– be especially critical when something important is at stake
• Do not label others
– classify strengths and preferences, not people
• Do not let your own label become rigid
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