Decoding the Three Styles of Communication
Communication is a complex yet necessary process, and many nuances drive quality exchanges. Optimal communication at the workplace can turn a crisis around by rallying teams together while reducing the risks of leaving the wrong message.
SoundWave is a specialised assessment tool that breaks down the complexities of communication into three broad categories — asking, telling and suggesting.These three categories utilise nine unique voices depending on the situation. While you might apply all nine voices throughout your daily interactions, you’ll naturally favour some over others. Various factors influence your preferred communication style, including social environments, experiences, and beliefs, gradually taking shape.
Through SoundWave, users can better understand their communication styles and how their audience perceives them. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that communication is a two-way street. Doing so might lead to miscommunications, conflict, and long-term tensions at the workplace.
SoundWave helps you identify your dominant communication style and recommends steps to optimize interactions. Effective communication lies in understanding each method and determining the best times to apply them. And a workplace culture that prioritises effective communication stands to benefit from a range of advantages such as increased employee engagement and improved customer relations.
Asking your Audience
Asking relates to inquisitiveness. As a child, you probably bombarded adults with questions about everything and anything. Why does the sun set in the west, why are clouds blue, why does ice melt? We have an intrinsic curiosity to learn about the world and improve our understanding and assurance about life.
However, monotonous routines may ultimately lead to a lack of curiosity, with individuals becoming less inclined to learn and improve themselves. Some workers eventually run through the motions daily, resulting in a stagnant and unfulfilling career. Motivated employees might display increased enthusiasm in group participation and lifelong learning, which can significantly improve their work performance.
According to one industry research, a curious mindset enhances three meaningful aspects at work: engagement, interpersonal dexterity, and a growth mindset. The study concluded that curiosity is an essential ingredient that shapes dedication, learning, and absorption at work.
Organisational leaders should actively create healthy work environments that encourage employees to innovate and discuss creative ways to reshape outmoded practices. Leaders can achieve this by promoting a culture that welcomes questions. These queries may range from casual check-ins (i.e., how are you coping with the remote work arrangement?) to in-depth questions regarding complex tasks (i.e., what are the most cost-effective ways to resolve the bottleneck in the sales funnel?).
By actively asking, employees learn beyond workplace concepts, but also the perspectives of co-workers, which improves collaboration and coordination. The most successful teachers and mentors retain a lifelong curiosity in learning through a growth mindset that continually improves themselves and others.
Telling Your Audience
“Telling” might suggest a strong and forceful approach, but this does not necessarily have to be the case. The communication style involves sharing expectations, instructions, and rules to connect people and rally them towards a shared objective. Telling taps on your current body of knowledge and expertise, which might clash with your audience’s experiences.
Therefore, the tone of voice plays a crucial role when directing thoughts, feelings, and actions through the art of telling. Leaders may find themselves “telling” their employees what to do regularly as part of their organisational role. Where possible, the best approach might involve a results-oriented approach, so employees are free to apply the methods that work comfortably for them.
Additionally, organisational leaders should aim to focus on the positive side of things while avoiding a traditional authoritative approach. Positive leadership requires authentic, actionable, and meaningful conversations that foster a sense of loyalty among workers while effectively plotting the map for progress.
No employee appreciates being frequently lectured or spoken down to, and ignoring these considerations may lead to workplace disengagement and high employee turnover rates.
It is important to note that “telling” does not translate to ordering others around. The art of telling also involves constructive criticism, knowing how to point out an employee’s mistake without compromising morale. When effectively achieved, “telling” drives workers to minimize errors, function at their best, and engage in friendly competition, which benefits the organisation in the long run.
Suggesting to Your Audience
Mentorship has become increasingly popular in the modern workforce. The art of suggestion is pivotal in mentor-mentee relations, where there should be a constant display of mutual respect. Unlike “telling,” which involves expressing a fixed set of personal values and beliefs, “suggesting” relates to guiding another person’s unique thought process. Mentors are known to be expert storytellers who frame abstract notions as clear narratives open to interpretation.
As such, mentors tend to show and not tell. The ideal mentor takes pride in leading others towards success, which serves as a reward on its own. Mentors understand that they serve only to help others realise their vision via suggestions that appeal to logic and emotions. Additionally, the mentor should always take on a well-balanced stance, suggesting tips that lead to success while recognising decisions that may result in failure.
Senior career counsellor Penny Loretto sums mentorship as the passion for active listening, “a good mentor will not have any distractions when you are talking with them, focusing on you and taking part in the conversation. They will ask questions, reflect on your answers and even give you some silence when you need to think.”
Understanding the three effective communication methods might provide you with a greater sense of awareness and control over your daily interactions. However, the three modes of communication merely represent the tip of the iceberg with the SoundWave approach.
The new normal’s increasingly remote landscape may lead to vague communication and conflicts among co-workers. Now more than ever, there’s a need to acknowledge the nine individual voices and apply them with precision. Quality communication may take time, but self-awareness serves as a massive first step towards long-term success.
StrengthsAsia has helped many individuals and corporate clients empower leaders throughout the region by enabling breakthrough experiences for both leaders and followers. If you wish to learn more about the Strengths Leadership Program, please reach out to us here.
