Best Communication Styles For Business

Effective communication in the workplace is not only vital for employees to achieve their daily business goals but can also have a significant impact on your business’s success. The way your employees communicate with each other is vital for successful collaboration. 

Hence, understanding how your employees communicate can be a game-changer.

Communication goes beyond the words we speak. It also includes our body language, the behaviour that follows, and non-verbal clues. Therefore, to ensure smooth communication between people, it is helpful to learn about the different communication styles.

While no one style is better than the other, choosing the right style for the right audience can help. In this article, let’s explore four essential communication styles.

#1 – ANALYTICAL COMMUNICATION STYLE

Analytical communication style refers to people who communicate with data instead of emotions. Analytical communicators tend to be great at forming strong arguments and making their points straightforward and clear. They are also seen as informed and authoritative as they speak with high levels of data and expertise. It is often quite effective in a corporate environment and is often used by people who hold upper management positions.

Here are a few primary features of analytical communicators:

• They use measurable evidence to make a point, which allows them to approach problems from a dispassionate point of view. Thus, they are great decision-makers.
• As they make fact-based choices, they are perceived as reliable.
• They can come off as cold as they prefer getting straight to the point and don’t enjoy small talk.

When communicating with an analytical communicator, the other person should always try to include hard data, specific language, and real numbers. Additionally, emotions and feelings should be kept out of your arguments. Instead, use information with facts. 

You also don’t want to keep beating around the bush when speaking to them. Get straight to the point, and avoid cryptic language.

#2 – INTUITIVE COMMUNICATION STYLE

The exact opposite of analytical communicators, intuitive communicators, take a more casual and big-picture approach to convey their thoughts and ideas. They also appreciate when others do the same. They don’t give importance to details and prefer out-of-the-box thinking. Furthermore, intuitive communicators like to listen to a broad overview instead of listening to things in linear order.

Here are a few primary features of intuitive communicators:

• They are often creative and contribute big, bold ideas, making them excellent at creative meetings and brainstorming sessions.
• Intuitive communicators present visual examples like charts, diagrams, and examples when communicating as it helps illustrate an idea better.
• They find minute details distracting and wish to get a broad overview, meaning they can be impatient for detail-oriented tasks and conversations.

When working with an intuitive communicator, you should pay special attention to not including details of a subject into the conversation. You should essentially cut the chase and steer clear of step-by-step instructions. Intuitive communicators also prefer in-person communication so they can grasp the concept fast.

#3 – PERSONAL COMMUNICATION STYLE

A personal communicator uses a combination of emotion and connection to understand the world around them. They prefer analyzing how their colleagues think, feel, and motivate them. Hence, these people believe in having personal relationships with their coworkers to gauge what they are thinking.Personal communicators have this unique ability to recognize non-verbal communication and read between the lines, particularly if they know the person they are working with.

Here are a few primary features of personal communicators:

• They are good at resolving conflicts and are often more concerned about the health of their relationships. So, they go out of their way to ensure everyone involved in the project feels heard.
• Due to their emotional communication style, they prefer face-to-face meetings so they can read non-verbal cues.
• They are great at communicating their feelings and expect others to do the same.

People who work with personal communicators will have to put some effort into establishing a connection before talking about work. Emotional language is of high importance here.

#4 – FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION STYLE

The last communication style on this list, is functional communicator like processes, details, timelines, as well as other thought-out plans. They wish to make sure no details are left out and hence want the information laid out in a linear manner. Unlike others who skip all details to get to the end of a conversation, intuitive communicators feel as if they are missing context.

Here are a few primary features of functional communicators:

• They wish to understand all details of a plan or project and hence flourish in all situations where they are allowed to ask questions freely.
• They like entirely laid out processes and prefer to understand their responsibilities, goals, and timelines before diving into a project.
• Functional communicators require consistent feedback so they can improve their performance over time.

Working with functional communicators requires others to present all available information upfront. So, present them with a timeline and list of expectations before assigning them a project. Also, answer any questions they have regarding the project.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STYLE

Understanding the various business communication styles will help you adapt when your employees communicate with you. It will also help you better understand your own style and figure out areas for improvement.

Furthermore, it will also allow your employees to better connect with each other. For instance, once a personal communicator learns about the peculiarities of an analytical communicator, they will no longer get frustrated when the other doesn’t indulge in small talk.

On a project or department level, it will help leaders manage their teams better. 

You will be able to prevent conflicts between employees with different communication styles. At the same time, it will also enable you to customise your messages according to the recipient’s preferred style.

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