Question

Let's Be Clear: How to Manage Communication Styles

Generally, diversity training and seminars about generational differences seek to increase cultural awareness, reduce conflict, and promote teamwork. Being aware of cultural and generational differences can improve employee productivity, enhance the work environment, and contribute toward greater understanding of one another. Knowing how to adapt their communication styles to complement someone else’s style will enable employees to sustain productivity and create a harmonious work environment.

Furthermore, recognizing your communication style can help you to understand how your actions are perceived by others. Centuries ago, the Greek physician Hippocrates studied people’s personality types. Instead of using basic terms that today’s researchers associate with certain personality types, Hippocrates determined one to be sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, or choleric. Although he believed that certain body fluids such as blood, phlegm, bile, and black bile determined one’s temperament, he was on to something.

Conflicting situations are bound to occur in the workplace, but unlike Hippocrates, we can take an active approach by being aware of others’ communication styles and then adapting our style to find that balance. There are typically four basic communication styles. Today, researchers use the terms expressive, systematic, sympathetic, and direct. Modern researchers have also differentiated the terms personality and communication style. In fact, communication styles are probably more determined by our needs at a given moment than by our personalities, which tend to be constant traits.

For example, someone who is generally a nice person could be having a bad day. Or, a generally positive co-worker could be experiencing symptoms of depression following the loss of a loved one. Temporary occurrences like these don’t.

Q1. Describe what you found interesting regarding this topic, and why.
Q2. Describe how you can apply that learning in your daily life, including your work life.

Answer 1

answer-

1- I find interesting that how communication style of our self can make other's to understand our actions because when we work in environment with diversified people we tend to make actions either verbally or by signs which we think that are good in our culture but not suitable for other culture's people. We should should understand our communication style first so that we can convey our self to others in positive ways so that we can reduce any kind of conflict in diversified place.

2-I can apply this by improving my communication style and make it more simple and easy to understand by others in my personal life. The effective communication would help em understand what other's are feeling or saying according to their cultural style.

for example- If i have a friends from india then i would greet them by saying "Namste" because this is proper greeting style which communicate our thinking that we value their culture.

At work life, where we meet people from different different background and culture having different languages so we can also use effective communication and body language by interacting with them, observing them, make clear statement if we understand their views and if not then politely ask them what is the meaning of their view so that they do not get offended. communication is the key of sustainability and conflict management at workplace.