Communication Styles

Think about your family members or your closest group of friends.  Do you have the same communication style as your sibling or best friend?  While you may have similar interests, hobbies and values, chances are your personalities are drastically different.  In turn, the manner in which you communicate will differ as well.  This concept is also applicable to the workplace.  Of course, companies and organizations vary in size and structure.  However, proper communication both internally and externally is key in to any company’s success.  As an intern, it is imperative to understand that while communication styles amongst coworkers will vary, an employee can adjust his or her personal communication style accordingly to complete a task with a favorable outcome.  If you follow the tips listed below, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert communicator!

1.     Identify your personality type and communication style—The first step to becoming an expert communicator is understanding and analyzing your own personality type and communication style.  To do this, you may opt to take different personality tests and quizzes, most of which are offered online for free or for a small fee.  At one of my internships, our learning and development coaches offered a “DiSC Personality Exam.”  After answering some basic questions about myself—primarily my communicative preferences—I was considered a “Conscientious” communicator.   While you may not be surprised by your results, these types of exams can open your eyes to various personality types and several types of communication styles.

2.     Accept that not all individuals communicate in this way—If you haven’t noticed already, you probably do not share the same work ethic, personality type, or communication style as your coworkers or supervisors.  Maybe you prefer to multitask, juggling several assignments at once to keep yourself occupied, while your supervisor prefers completing one task at a time in a more thorough manner.  Perhaps you would opt to email a coworker for information on a certain project, while they would rather meet in person to discuss the details and specifics of the assignment.  Understand that people work and communicate differently.  In doing this, you will be better prepared to collaborate with others to achieve a goal. 

3.     Learn about and understand other communication and personality types—To stand out, study the various communication/personality types listed in the result section of the aforementioned tests and quizzes.  By making sense of the characteristics and qualities of different communication types, you will become more comfortable in both your communication skills and those of other people.  After taking the “DiSC Personality Exam,” I was asked to work in a group with other interns that received similar results, and then again in a group with different communication styles.  Not surprisingly, working with the group with different communication styles resulted in a much better work product.  While it was challenging to agree on the best way to complete the task, we were able to be more creative in our work and use our personal communicative strengths to enhance the overall finished project.

4.     Create strategies to help effectively communicate with others—Be mindful of varying communication styles when working with others.  For example, imagine working with four other individuals to complete a presentation for the top management of your company.  First, prioritize what tasks need to be accomplished in order to finish an assignment.  After determining what components of the presentation need to be completed, assign certain people to tasks that match their interests and communicative styles.  If someone in the group has a dominant personality, perhaps they would be more comfortable opening the presentation than someone who is more soft-spoken and shy.  Detail oriented and thorough communicators may be more interested in making sure the PowerPoint slides that accompany the speaker are visually appealing and grammatically correct.  Play up the strengths of your coworkers, and understand that you may have to sacrifice your personal preferences as a communicator for the good of the group.