Communication Styles

Communication styles are referred to as the ‘software’ of communication. The style of communication affects the power of meaningful connections and the effectiveness of communication. A salesperson opts an appropriate communication style based on the type of audience.

Communication Styles

There are four communication styles. Let us discuss these communication styles in detail;

• Passive
• Aggressive
• Passive Aggressive
• Assertive

Passive

In this communication style, an individual avoids sharing his/her emotions, opinions, and feelings with others. However, when he/she reaches a level of intolerance, he/she is more prone to explosive outburst.

Therefore, they feel guilt, shame and confusion and fail to assert for themselves. The characteristics of such type of communicators are anxious, depressed, resentful, confused and immature.

Aggressive

The aim of aggressive communicators is winning. They feel their opinions, ideas and needs are superior to others and with such an attitude, they may turn hostile, threatening and aggressive at times. It is an ineffective and unhealthy communication style because people focus more on the way the message has been delivered rather than the meaning of the message.

They often indulge in bullying, demanding, intimidation and abrasiveness. Therefore, the other person is more likely to feel hurt, humiliated, defensive and, ultimately, does not respect him/her.

Passive Aggressive

Such communicators seem to be sweet and pleasant in person, but hide their true intentions and feelings. These types of employees often indulge in gossiping and rumours which lead to toxic work environment.

They appear to be passive on the surface as they are incapable of directly dealing with their object of resentment. They are not reliable and often indulge in complaining. The other person often feels confused, angry and hurt with such passive-aggressive behaviour.

Assertive

Assertive communication is neither too passive nor too aggressive. Assertive communicators know their limits and do not hurt others. These communicators are of high self-esteem and possess the confidence to communicate without manipulation. They are socially expressive and emotional. They usually indulge in achieving goals without hurting others. It is the most effective and healthy style of communication.

However, it is the least used style of communication adopted by people. At workplaces, different people adopt different styles of communication because of their personalities, attitude and life experiences.

However, managers always try to opt for an effective and conducive style of communication which is an assertive style of communication. Being assertive can help an employee in gaining respect and self-esteem in the long run as assertive style of communication does not involve any kind of manipulation.