Communication styles impact all of our conversations, even our conversations about lunch! Here's an example for you: It’s Friday, and the group always goes out to lunch on Friday. Bob, Riley, Kai, and Anne are in Bob’s SUV exiting the parking garage. Bob says, “Ok, it’s big decision time. Where would all of you like to go? What sounds good for lunch?” Riley says, “We went to the Thai place last week, and I heard the chicken place is closed for renovations. I LOVE, the Italian place with the big salads, but it’s always so warm in there. How about the vegetarian place with the AWESOME tofu burgers and the BEAUTIFUL view of the lake? That place is so fresh and hip! And I like supporting a local business.” Riley smiles and looks at everybody. Kai says, “Just so I get back in time.” He’s looking out the window. Anne says, “Based on the price, the traffic patterns, and the diverse menu options, the deli around the corner is consistently the best option. I read on Yelp that their tomato basil soup just won an award.” Anne is checking her email on her iPhone. Bob says with a big smile, “Thanks everybody! How about if we go to the deli this week and go to the vegetarian place next week. We can leave a little bit earlier next week to make sure we get back in time. Will that work for everyone?” Everyone nods and agrees with Bob and then starts to catch up with each other on the week’s latest news and plans for the weekend. As we can see with Bob, Sally, Jim, and Anne, people communicate differently. We focus on different types of information and share that information in different ways. We use different styles in our verbal and nonverbal communication. Some people focus on “bottom line” issues, like Kai. Others focus on data and details, like Anne. Others focus on relationships and agreement, like Bob. And others focus on feelings and values like Riley or something else entirely. What we focus on and how we deliver our message makes each of us unique. We can leverage this uniqueness as a strength in a variety of personal and professional situations. Most of us want to be influential with others. Having an understanding of communication styles can help us be influential. By understanding our own communication style and the communication style of others, we can adjust our messages to be more influential. For example, when talking with Anne in the scenario above, it would be important to share data and details to be influential. When communicating with Bob, it would be important to show how recommendations will build alignment and stronger relationships. To learn more about the four different communication styles, click here to enroll and download my one-page Communication Style Guide. After downloading the guide, think about which style is your dominant style. Next, think about the style of someone you want to influence. When influencing someone, adjust your communication style to match theirs a bit more. That way they will be able to hear and understand you message more thoroughly. Good luck! If you have any questions or would like to learn more, email me at lisa@liszczconsulting.com or call me at (832) 203-5183. Thank you, and have a great day! Photo credit: © Arne9001 | Dreamstime.com
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AuthorLisa Liszcz has over 20 years of experience developing leaders and teams in four different global organizations in a variety of industries. In 2014 she became an entrepreneur and is rocking her inner superhero and loving her life like mad. Archives
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