Four Styles Of Communication
Each person has a unique personality and communication style which plays a very basic role in their
Personal Perspective, and all personalities are combinations of four basic personality types. This is
commonly called the DISC profile. Here is how the DISC profile applies to effective communication.
Four Styles for Effective Communication.
Have you ever met someone that you just couldn't get through to?
While there could be many reasons for this, one of the most common reasons is that your communication
"style" is different than the other person's communication style.
One of the best ways to quickly improve the effectiveness of your communication is to adapt your
communication style to match theirs. Let me illustrate what I mean.
My wife and I have quite different styles of communication. She loves details and I just want the bottom
line. When I get home from work at the end of the day and she asks me "How was your day?" I am likely
to respond with a simple "fine," or maybe give her a quick summary of one or two of the most important
events.
Find your communication style right now!
But when I ask her the same question, I had better be prepared to hear the story of her entire day in
excruciating (for me) detail. Because of my communication style, I don't need nor want the details, but
because of her communication style, she needs and wants to give them.
Of course this is just an example, as we all face the challenges of communicating with people who have a
different style of communication than our own. In this short article we'll look at the four "styles" of
communication and learn how to communicate with each one more effectively.
Research which began in the 1940s and continues today has revealed there are four major styles of
communication. Some people combine two of these styles, but we all have a natural style of
communication that we prefer to use.
Remember, our natural tendency in communicating is to use our own style because it is what comes
naturally and automatically to us. But if we want to be effective communicators, we need to adapt our
style to that of the other person.
Here are the four styles of communication. After you read each one stop for a minute and write down the
names four people who you know that have that style.
The Controller. (also known as the "D")
The Controller is easy to spot because they just want the facts and nothing but the facts. Because of this,
many times they can be perceived as bossy and insensitive. The Controller is extremely goal oriented
and their major motivation is to get things done. They'll take a project and run with it. Many times they
won't even have a plan when they begin. They'll just forge ahead with an attitude of "we'll figure it out as
we go."
The Controller paints with a broad brush and has little use for details, so don't give them any more details
than are absolutely necessary to get your point across. Here are some tips for communicating with a
bottom line person:
Be efficient and businesslike.
Get to the point.
Set and clarify goals and objectives.
Give them conclusions. Only provide details if asked.
Solve problems and objections.
Talk in terms of results not methods.
The Promoter. (also known as the "I")
You know the Promoter...they're the life of the party and lots of fun. They love people and love to talk.
Their natural sociability allows them to talk for long periods of time about almost anything. They have an
attractive personality and are the life of the party. They are enthusiastic, curious, and expressive.
Here are some tips for communicating with the Promoter:
Leave plenty of time for talk and social niceties.
Ask them about their family, children etc. And be prepared to talk about yours.
If possible, let them "experience" what you are communicating.
Talk in terms of people and stories.
Use lots of examples.
Something to think about: What will happen when the people person who loves to talk tries to
communicate with the bottom line person who just wants to get to the point? (back to top)
The Supporter. (also known as the "S")
The person with a Supporter communication style typically has a low key personality and is calm, cool
and collected. They tend to be patient, well balanced and happily reconciled with life. Supporters are the
largest percentage of the population and they are typically competent and steady workers who do not like
to be involved in conflict. When there is conflict they may be called upon to mediate the problem. They
are good listeners and usually have many friends. One of their major motivations is to avoid offending
anyone.
Here are some tips for communicating with the Supporter:
Don't come on too strong.
Earn their trust in small steps.
Don't ask for big decisions fright away.
Provide plenty of reassurance.
Talk in terms of security.
Something to think about: How can you use testimonials, guarantees, or examples to effectively
communicate with a Supporter that you know?
The Analyzer. (also known as the "C")
These are the "facts and figures" people. They love to gather details and organize things. They tend to be
deep, thoughtful, analytical, serious and purposeful. Because their communication style includes a need
for details, they sometimes hesitate to make decisions if they feel that they don't have enough facts. They
love lists, charts, graphs and figures. Because they pay so much attention to details, they can sometime
be seen as being pessimistic. Many times they are frugal or economical.
Tips for communicating with the Analyzer:
Make sure you are well prepared.
Have plenty of facts and figures.
Be prepared for skepticism.
Answer all of their questions.
Go relatively slow to give them time to think and analyze.
Something to think about: How can the people person who loves to talk communicate more effectively
with the detail person who wants facts and figures?
Conclusion
Since each person has a preferred style of communication, once you think about it and determine their
style, you can communicate effectively by adapting your style to meet the needs of their style.
Remember first rule of maximum communication: the success of the communication is the responsibility
of the communicator. If my wife needs to tell me the details of her day, I need to let her.
Wrap-up
For all of those "bottom line," "D" people out there, here's a quick summary of what we have covered in
this newsletter:
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There are four major styles of communication.
It is the responsibility of the person doing the communication to adapt their style to that of the
person that they are communicating with.
Let's Practice!
The best way to understand a concept is to practice it. So here's a suggested exercise that you can do on
your own.
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Make a list of five people that you communicate with on a regular basis.
Next to each one, identify their communication style.
Decide how you can communicate more effectively with each one using their style, not yours