The topic communication is very interesting. It has many aspects of itself. Mainly it dealt with the psychology. It is also very important for the leaders. Here I am trying to grab whatever I can collect from net on this topic.
Here is the first article.
communication styles and conflictAs far back as Hippocrates’ time (460-370 B.C.) people have been trying to understand other people by characterizing them according to personality type or temperament. Hippocrates believed there were four different body fluids that influenced four basic types of temperament. His work was further developed 500 years later by Galen (130-200 A.D.).
These days there are any number of self-assessment tools that relate to the basic descriptions developed by Galen, although we no longer believe the source to be the types of body fluid that dominate our systems.
The value in self-assessments that help determine personality style, learning styles, communication styles, conflict handling styles or other aspects of individuals, is that they help depersonalize conflict in interpersonal relationships.
The depersonalization occurs when you realize that someone isn’t just trying to be difficult but that they need different or more information than you do. They’re not intending to be rude, they are so focused on the task they forget about greeting people. They would like to work faster but not at the risk of damaging the relationships needed to get the job done. They understand there is a job to be done, but it can only be done right with the appropriate information, which takes time to collect.
Understanding communications styles helps to resolve conflict on teams when used appropriately. Very rarely are conflicts true personality issues. Usually they are issues of style, information needs or focus.
Hippocrates and, later, Galen determined there were four basic temperaments:
1. The sanguine person, characterized by the tendency to be overly cheerful, optimistic, vain and unpredictable.
2. The phlegmatic person, who is unemotional, nonchalant, cool, persevering and needing direction.
3. The melancholic person, who is soft hearted, oriented towards doing things for others and slow in responding.
4. The choleric person whose temperament is domineering, stubborn, opinionated and self-confident.
These descriptions were developed centuries ago and are still somewhat apt although the wording could be updated. In today’s world, they translate into four fairly common communication styles:
1. The sanguine person would be the expressive or spirited style of communication. These people speak in pictures. They invest a lot of emotion and energy in their communication and often speak quickly, putting their whole body into it. They can be easily sidetracked onto a story that may or may not illustrate the point they are trying to make. Because of their enthusiasm they are great team motivators. They are concerned about people and relationships. Their high levels of energy can come on strong at times and their focus is usually on the bigger picture, which means details, or the proper order of things can sometimes be missed. These people find conflict or differences of opinion invigorating and love to engage in a spirited discussion. They love change and are constantly looking for new and exciting adventures.
2. The phlegmatic person, being cool and persevering translates into the technical or systematic communication style. This style of communication is focused on facts and technical details. They have an orderly, methodical way of approaching tasks and their focus is very much on the task, not on the people or the emotions or concerns that may be evoked by the task. The focus is also more on the details necessary to accomplish the task. Sometimes the details overwhelm the big picture and focus needs to be brought back to the context of the task. People with this style think the facts should speak for themselves and they are not as comfortable with conflict. They need time to adapt to change and need to understand both the logic of it and the steps involved.
3. The melancholic person who is softhearted and oriented toward doing things for others translates into the considerate or sympathetic communication style. A person with this communication style is focused on people and relationships. They are good listeners and do things for other people, sometimes to the detriment of getting things done for themselves. They want to be able to solicit everyone’s opinion and to make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever needs to be done. This focus on others can distract from the task at hand at times. Because they are so concerned with the needs of others and smoothing over issues, they do not like conflict. Since change threatens the status quo and tends to make people feel uneasy, people with this communication style need time to consider the changes in order to adapt to them.
4. The choleric temperament translates into the bold or direct style of communication. People with this style are brief in their communication: the fewer words the better. They are big picture thinkers and love to be involved in many things at once. They are focused on tasks and outcomes and often forget the people involved in carrying out the tasks have needs. They don’t do detail work easily and as a result can often underestimate how much time it takes to achieve the task. Because they are so direct they often seem forceful and can be very intimidating to others. They usually would welcome being challenged but most other styles are afraid to do so. They also thrive on change, the more the better.
A well functioning team needs all of these aspects of communication styles in order to be truly effective. All teams need to be focused on the task and they need to take care of relationships in order to achieve those tasks. They need the big picture perspective or the context of their work and they need the details to be identified and taken care of for success.
We all have aspects of each of these styles within us. Some of us can easily move from one style to another and adapt our style to the needs of the situation at hand: whether the focus needs to be on tasks or relationships. For others of us, our dominant style is very evident and it is more challenging to see the situation from the perspective of another style.
The work environment can influence communication styles either by the type of work that needs to be done or if there is a predominance of one style reflected in that environment. Some people use one style at work and another at home.
The good news about communication styles is that we all have the ability to develop flexibility in our styles. The greater the flexibility we have, the more skilled we usually are at handling possible and actual conflicts. Usually it has to be relevant to us to do so, either because we think it is important or because there are incentives in our environment to encourage it. The key is that we have to want to. As Henry Ford said, whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right! –
Now this is a chart I gather from somewhere which tells us different things about these styles. Read carefully and you will find that The above mentioned styles are present in the chart, just given a different name.
Choleric are drivers.
Sangunie are expresser.
Melacholic are relaters.
and phlegmatics are analytical.
FACTORS: | EXPRESSER | DRIVER | RELATER | ANALYTICAL |
| How to Recognize: | They get excited. | They like their own way; decisive & strong viewpoints. | They like positive attention, to be helpful & to be regarded warmly. | They seek a lot of data, ask many questions, behave methodically & systematically. |
| Tends to Ask: | Who? (the personal dominant question) | What (the results oriented question.) | Why? (the personal non-goal question.) | How? (the technical analytical question.) |
| What They Dislike: | Boring explanations/wasting time with too many facts. | Someone wasting their time trying to decide for them. | Rejection, treated impersonally, uncaring & unfeeling attitudes. | making an error, being unprepared, spontaneity. |
| Reacts to Pressure and Tension By: | "Selling" their ideas or argumentative. | Taking charge taking more control. | Becoming silent, withdraws, introspective. | Seeking more data & information. |
| Best way to Deal With: | Get excited with them. Show emotion. | Let them be in charge. | Be supportive; show you care. | Provide lots of data & information. |
| Likes To Be Measured By: | Applause, feedback, recognition. | Results, Goal-oriented. | Friends, close relationships. | Activity & busyness that leads to results. |
| Must Be Allowed To: | Get ahead quickly. Likes challenges. | Get into a competitive situation. Likes to win. | Relax, feel, care, know you care. | make decisions at own pace, not cornered or pressured. |
| Will Improve With: | Recognition & some structure with which to reach the goal. | A position that requires cooperation with others. | A structure of goals & methods for achieving each goal. | Interpersonal and communication skills. |
| Likes to Save: | Effort they rely heavily on hunches, intuition, feelings. | Time. They like to be efficient, get things done now. | Relationships. Friendship means a lot to them. | Face. They hate to make an error, be wrong or get caught without enough info. |
| For Best Results: | Inspire them to bigger & better accomplishments. | Allow them freedom to do things their own way. | Care & provide detail, specific plans&activities to be accomplished. | Structure a framework or "track" to follow. |
Here is questionary to find out what is your communication style.
http://matrix.scranton.edu/humanresources/communication-styles-handout-leadership.pdf
There is one more categorization i.e. people who like to have visual, verbal or tactile kind of communication. Here is an article which describes these styles and will help you to find out whats yours.
WHAT'S YOUR COMMUNICATION STYLE?
Are you verbal, visual, or tactile? It makes a big difference!
People are different. That's what makes the world an interesting place in which to live. Imagine how boring it would be if we were all alike.
We've all heard these comments before. I'd like you to think about them again, this time in the context of communication and how you best receive information.
There are three modes of communication in which people commonly receive and understand data. These means of communication are verbal, visual, and tactile. To effectively communicate with others, we must first know how they receive information.
A verbal person is one who best understands by use of ears and voice. Verbal people prefer to ask questions if they don't understand. They like to hear instructions rather than read them. As a matter of fact, some people simply cannot follow instructions by reading them. I'm sure many of us have had the experience of trying to assemble something by reading the instructions or trying to decipher the computer manual. What takes hours of reading takes only minutes of explanation when someone tells you or shows you how to do it. People who prefer to learn by verbal and audible means will probably never read the employee manual. But if you tell them what's in the manual, they'll understand it.
That communication style works for only some of us. Others prefer visual communication. They would much rather read the instructions. Visual people relish the reinforcement of seeing the words in writing and being sure they understand what is written. They enjoy being able to go back and refer to the instructions or the employee manual. These people like to read the book either before or after seeing the movie.
The third mode of communication is tactile. These are the touchy-feely people. They are the note-takers. They love embossed business cards, heavy linen stationery, leather briefcases, shaking hands. Tactile people best understand what you're saying if they take notes as you talk. This might bring back memories of your early childhood when your teacher had you write out the spelling words 10 times each.
What's your style?
Now it might be fun to determine how you communicate. Following is a little quiz to help you identify your own communication style.
Check each answer that applies:
1. When I have free time, I like to:
* a. Watch TV or go to the movies
* b. Listen to the radio or music
* c. Go to the gym or do something physical or use my hands
2. What I notice most about people is:
* a. Their appearance
* b. Their voices
* c. Their movements
3. I can easily learn when I:
* a. See a demonstration
* b. Hear instructions
* c. Try it myself
4. When I go to a new city, I tend to:
* a. Use a map
* b. Ask someone for directions
* c. Use my instincts as to which way to go
5. I enjoy reading material that:
* a. Has a lot of pictures
* b. Has interesting topics
* c. Covers sports, crafts, activities
6. When I have a lot to do, I:
* a. Make a list or imagine myself doing things
* b. Remind myself of what I have to do
* c. Get anxious until I complete most of the items
7. When I am talking to someone else, I:
* a. Try to see what they are saying
* b. Listen closely so I can hear what they have to say
* c. Try to get in touch with what they are trying to say
8. When I solve problems, I:
* a. Look for alternatives
* b. Talk about new approaches
* c. Fit possibilities together
9. I like any place where there:
* a. Are things to see or people to watch
* b. Is music, conversation, or quiet
* c. Is room to move
(Tally your a's, b's, and c's. If your highest number is a's, your communication style is visual; b's, your communication style is verbal; and c's, your communication style is tactile.)
Match the mode
It is a known fact that people like people who are like themselves. You can greatly enhance your communication skills if you can identify the communication mode a person prefers and modify your communication mode to match.
Verbal people talk a lot. They won't want to read the proposal; they'll want you to tell them what is in it. They won't want to read your phone number off the business card; they'll want you to tell them what it is. Verbal people can be long-winded on the telephone. Their language includes vocal words such as, "He says," "I told them," etc. Remember, people like people who are like themselves. When talking with these people, let them express themselves. Do not dominate the conversation. They like to do the talking. Tell them things; don't expect them to read a lot. You'll be better off calling a verbal person on the phone than sending an e-mail.
Let's say you're talking with someone who uses visual phrases like "I see," or "It's my point of view," or "I'd like to watch their performance before I decide." This is your first clue that the person is a visual communication type. People who are interested in actually reading through the proposal or paperwork are definitely visual communicators. You'll want to match your style to theirs. You may want to read something to them or use visual words like "I see," "I notice," etc. These people love e-mail.
You'll recognize the tactile style in people who tend to fidget with pens or business cards. They like to shake hands or touch things on your desk. They might make statements such as, "I feel this would be a good thing" or "I'd like to meet with you." If you recognize the tactile style, you'll want to move into the touchy-feely mode. Shake their hand, give them a business card, put your hand on their shoulder. They might like the speed and efficiency of e-mail, but they'd really appreciate a letter they can touch.
People are different. They communicate differently. Understanding people's preference for how they give and receive feedback enhances your ability to converse with them in a powerful and productive way. Positive interaction with people is a valuable tool. An understanding of how people process information will improve your ability to get your message across and your ideas understood. We are constantly interacting with people. The more you know about the three modes of communication, the better your chances are of being understood.
Thats it for Now. If you ask me I am expressive and like visual data. So have this in mind, while communicating with me next time.
