If there was one thing you could do to improve your workplace culture, what would it be?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, better communication is one of the top answers that echoes in response to this question… but what does that even mean?
Before we dive into how to decode and make the most of communication styles, let’s pause to consider the basics.
What is a communication style?
The way we express ourselves in everyday interactions is what makes up our communication style. This includes but isn’t limited to emails, chats, calls, one-on-one conversations, meeting discussions, and our body language. Often, teams in the workplace end up having a shared communication style. This is because our communication styles are subconsciously defined by our perception of:
- peer personalities and the immediate environment
- our role and relationship dynamics
- organizational culture and growth drivers
In a nutshell, your communication style conveys the voice and tone that most peers in the workplace associate with you and your work personality.
Why are communication styles important?
Communication styles are an undertone, making it easier for your peers to understand you. It allows them to quickly grasp the context of what you say or express. This transforms their ability to work effectively with you.
This is why most successful leaders have a distinct communication style. It creates consistency and clarity for everyone on the team. The right communication style in the workplace also paves the way for frequent, authentic communication, impacting employee experience.
On the other hand, the absence of an effective communication style serves as a barrier to strong team and stakeholder relationships.
Not sure what your communication style is? Read on to discover the most prevalent communication styles and which ones you need to adopt/drop for a healthy workplace.
5 types of communication styles
While this list could go on and on, we’ve narrowed it down for you! These are some of the most common communication styles in the workplace. Which seem most familiar to you?
1. Aggressive Communication Style
This one is a top-down approach that is loud and clear on expectations. Unfortunately, it is often unfair. Business leaders who are successful in the mid to long-term are rarely aggressive. This is because an aggressive communication style leaves little room for everyone else on the team to express their expertise and opinions freely. On the other hand, aggressive communication can work well for growth-focused leaders when meeting short-term goals. Yet, it is at the cost of alienating top performers on the team.
Style Identifiers: instructional tone, blunt mandates, powerful body language, sharp emails
2. Passive Communication Style
Know someone who waits for others to initiate a conversation on a pressing matter? And when they do speak, it seems perfunctory than their role demands. Well, you are looking at a professional with a passive communication style in the workplace. In most cases, passive communication isn’t born from disinterest in the job or discussion at hand. It can be a result of:
- an unclear vision
- aggressive peers
- an intent for collaboration
- perception misalignment of their role
Over time, professionals with passive communication styles witness loss of authority and trust.
Style Identifiers: neutral tone, accommodating mandates, gentle body language, non-conclusive emails
3. Passive-Aggressive Communication Style
Know a peer who got promoted recently or someone who made it to a role despite limited popular consensus? Such workplace archetypes are the most likely candidates for passive-aggressive communication. They fall short of speaking their mind when they try to please everyone and avoid conflict. And yet, when their unspoken demands or “mere suggestions” are unmet, they become difficult on all other fronts. This communication style often gets in the way of interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Most employees associate this style with a complex personality and a non-leader trait.
Style Identifiers: overtly friendly tone, round-about mandates, defensive body language, inconsistent emails
4. Manipulative Communication Style
This style isn’t always easy to spot at first. But just before a major presentation… a huge setback… this style reveals itself. If you know a colleague who seemed a great communicator first only to gas light when least expected, you are dealing with manipulative communication. Insecurity is a top factor that contributes to a manipulative communication style in the workplace. It results in the professional consciously or subconsciously contorting versions for different stakeholders to control the narrative.
Style identifiers: overtly supportive tone, conditional mandates, muted body language, hush-hush emails
5. Assertive Communication Style
Know a peer who speaks their mind confidently and encourages everyone on the team to do the same? Someone whose presence in a meeting brings order and calm? You are in the company of a professional with an assertive communication style. This type of communication fosters a culture of collaboration and transparency. As companies look to build equitable and inclusive workplaces, an assertive communication style is key. It ensures everyone feels heard and aligned to a definite purpose.
Style identifiers: confident tone, clear mandates, positive body language, swift emails
What is the best communication style in the workplace?
Each of us has a distinct communication style in the workplace owing to a host of internal and external factors. It is important to identify our style and consider how it impacts our relationships with stakeholders. This exercise can help you arrive at the best communication style for your situation in the workplace.
This is because different environments and people demand us to communicate differently. It is equally critical to consider your communication style in the context of your role, responsibilities, and goals.
For instance, you may realize that an aggressive communication style was ideal when you headed sales. But since your shift to the product team, you need to adopt a more assertive style. This can make it easier for the new team to open up to you.
Similarly, if you’ve been a diligent worker with a passive communication style, you might want to shake things up when promoted to leadership. Embracing assertive communication can help stakeholders look up to with greater trust and confidence. It can help you move faster on decisions, unlock greater employee engagement and productivity, and even energize the business.
Yes, an assertive communication style is hands-down the best communication style in the workplace. It fosters positivity, leads to healthy team bonds, and makes it easier for everyone to do their job. Like with all communication styles, it involves a spectrum. Track your style’s impact on your relationships and goals. Tone things up or down depending on your situation.
If you are a team leader or business owner, make communication styles and their impact on mental health and productivity part of your employee surveys. Often, this can reveal insightful results.
What influences workplace communication style?
We all have an instinctive communication style in the workplace. This may be influenced by long-term and short-term factors. Organizational culture and past professional relationships are typical examples of long-term influences.
Let’s look at some such long-term scenarios.
Scenario #1: A young woman with an assertive communication style spends years as the only female in an all-male, all-white environment. Her default style is unfairly noted as “too bold” by some of her peers and seniors. This compels her to take on a manipulative communication style to survive in a conservative environment.
Scenario #2: A shy queer professional quickly rises to the top in an industry known for its toxic work culture. To “fit in”, they develop an aggressive communication style.
Scenario #3: A confident college graduate partners with a 2x unicorn start-up founder. They adopt a passive communication style to get along with their more industry-savvy partner who ends up taking the lead on big decisions.
Environment and other influences can also impact communication style in the short term as well. Consider these short-term scenarios.
Scenario #1: A veteran professional joins a start-up. A 360 survey reveals his Gen Z peers find him less collaborative. He tries ditching his usual matter-of-fact tone for a gentler communication style. Falling short of transition at a deeper level, he ends up taking a passive-aggressive communication style.
Scenario #2: A top sales performer finds her job at risk after an acquisition. She realizes her primary goal isn’t just meeting targets; it is being seen as an asset to the company in the eyes of the new management. Over the next couple of days, she switches from an aggressive communication style to one that is manipulative.
Scenario #3: A self-taught marketer finds he is to lead a team of top B-school hires. He quits his usual minimalistic communication style for a far more business-savvy, aggressive communication style. His hope – being taken seriously by his new team.
Improve communication by creating a better environment for your team
As a team leader or business owner, it can be daunting to build a positive communication environment. You need to nurture a workplace culture that supports diverse communication styles and nurtures understanding. But where do you start?
- Encourage your team to reflect with a self-evaluation survey aimed at helping them to identify their own communication styles.
- Educate every employee on the importance of an assertive communication style in the workplace. Link this to direct career benefits.
- Make effective communication an employee performance KPI.
- Understand employee-specific communication patterns and intervene using integrated EX management tools.
- Equip managers and team leaders to help team members build a communication style that works best for their role.
Irrespective of your company or team’s current communication style, know that it can take you a couple of weeks or months to turn around things. It is important to stay invested. This will ensure you are able to align all employees to a communication style that works best for their role and a workplace environment that’s productive and engaging.
FAQs
What is the best communication style in the workplace?
It might sound like a cop-out to say “It depends!” but it really does. The right communication style balances your role and goals with your environment and team. Self-awareness and other-awareness are critical in choosing what “best” looks like. For example, in many cases, being assertive can help you to be successful in the workplace because it means your thoughts are being heard and you’re conveying confidence. Depending on your role and your work environment, however, you may need to leverage other communication styles to some degree.
How is it possible to identify communication styles?
Create a quadrant featuring assertive communication at the center and the 4 other communication styles at the ends of each axis. Map elements such as tone of voice, mandate issuing style, body language, and email tonality on the quadrant. Depending on the quadrant that sees the most mapping, you can link a person to their communication style. When most elements fall close to the center, you can identify the person with an assertive communication style.
How can professionals improve their communication skills?
Improving communication skills and adopting a positive communication style in the workplace is a journey. It demands introspection, goal-setting, and continuous progress. Identifying a mentor to track progress and running frequent peer or team surveys are both effective ways to make steady improvements.
Need to learn more about your team’s communication styles so you can improve your workplace for everyone? Launch a free survey today and start getting results!
