Communication Styles
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Communication Styles
In the workplace, various factors play a critical role in ensuring there is productivity. Human relations is one of the factors that play an essential role in making sure the workplace is productive. The presence of sound human relations means that individuals within the workplace will be able to interact with each other well. The main factor that forms the basis of sound human relations is communication. Human beings have to communicate so that they can be able to send a message from one person to another effectively. The message will help human beings be able to understand each other well and what should be done. This approach will lead to positive interaction among human beings and help in enhancing productivity in the workplace. Various styles are associated with communication, and their important can be depicted in various ways.
Reflection on the Chosen Topic
Communication is one of the important factors that have to be given critical attention. Proper communication should be observed by every person to pass the message easily and enhance understanding. Communication is required in various areas. However, the workplace is one area that requires proper communication. The workplace is made up of various individuals, and they have to communicate with each other to ensure peaceful coexistence. Different communication styles can be used in communication. These styles are essential because they help in guiding people to know what is best and in what situation can it be used.
Various Aspects Related to Communication Styles
Multiple aspects are related to communication styles. According to Smith (2011), one of the elements is the culture of a person. There are multiple cultures that people come from, which is associated with various opinions, beliefs, and values. Furthermore, culture refers to the environment that has shaped how a person views certain issues that are happening around him or her. Therefore, culture affects communication styles in the sense that a person will choose the communication style that resonated with his or her cultural values, beliefs, and opinions.
The second aspect that is related to communication styles is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability of a person to understand his or her strengths and weakness as well as interpret other people’s emotions (Smith, 2011). This element plays a significant role in communication style since it will influence a person to choose the communication style that he or she feels is the best. On the other hand, a person will choose a communication style that he or she feels it will not harm the emotions of other people.
The third aspect that related to communication style is gender. Gender influences communication styles in specific ways and one way is that men are expected to communicate with women using low tones rather than shouting at them (von Hippel & Wiryakusuma, 2011). On the other hand, women are expected to speak up as well as avoid statement which shows indecisiveness. These approaches are recommended on the communication styles, which are seen to be gender-specific.
Professional training is the fourth aspect that is related to communication styles(von Hippel & Wiryakusuma, 2011). Most people who are gone through formal training identify individual communication styles that they can use for self-awareness. Furthermore, professional coaching can help people to identify the communication style which they can use whenever they want a particular change effected.
What the Reader has to know about Communication Styles
The main concept that the reader has to understand is the communication styles that can be used on various occasions. The first type of communication style that can be used in this case is assertive communication (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). Assertive communication shows high self-esteem and is balanced as well as effective. Therefore, when using this style of communication, a person should be able to balance the need to attain the intended purpose while respect the views of other people.
The second style of communication is aggressive communication. Aggressive communication focuses on winning, and it is mostly at the expense of another person(Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). Individuals who use aggressive communication feel that their needs are the most important than that of others. Furthermore, these individuals may not deliver their message effectively because they fear people will react to how the message has been delivered rather than the message in it.
Thirdly, passive-aggressive is a style of communication whereby people seem passive on the outside, but on the inside, they are acting out their anger. Most people who use this communication are always resentful, as well as motivated to challenge the contributions that other people have made(Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). These individuals will use this approach even though this may affect them at the end.
The fourth communication style is submissive. Individuals who possess this style of communication will able to be pleasing other people as well as void any form of conflict. Moreover, individuals will treat other people’s rights and needs as more critical rather than theirs. Submissive communication will always want to play the smallest role during discussions or meetings.
The last style of communication is manipulative communication. Individuals that use manipulative communication will employ intelligent and shrewd behavior to achieve their goals (Bakker-Pieper & de Vries, 2013). Most of these individuals possess strong influential skills, which helps them to control other people for their gains. Moreover, most of the words that they speak contain a hidden message that another person may not understand easily.
Impact of this Topic on the Daily Life
This topic is important in the daily life of different people, both personally as well as professionally. Personally, this topic will help people to understand some of the best approaches that they can use when communicating with other people. The approach that they will use will help them to learn to interact with their colleagues well and ensure positive human relations. Professionally, this topic will help in improving the performance and productivity within the workplace. This topic will help the workers to understand various communication styles and why it is essential. They will then use these styles within the workplace to communicate effectively with their colleagues. Effective communication will help the employees to understand hence improving human relations. Improve human relations will create a conducive atmosphere within the workplace, and the workers will be able to conduct their activities effectively. This factor will be important in the sense that it will enhance performance within the workplace, thus increasing productivity.
Importance of Understanding the Selected Topic
Understanding communication styles is essential because it will help in maintaining a cohesive work culture. Different communication styles can be used in various situations. These communication styles ensure there is an easy transfer of information between the workers. Easy transfer of information will lead to an understanding among the members of the work environment (Bakker-Pieper & de Vries, 2013). Proper understanding will then maintain a cohesive work culture because the members of the workforce will be able to interact with each other well.
The second important of understanding communication styles is that it can be used by the management to provide feedback to the employees. Managers can use different communication styles to collect information from the employees (Hicks, 2011). This information may be important as it can be used to make specific changes to improve productivity within the workplace. Therefore, the managers have to understand the different communication styles so that they can pick the best to use to provide feedback to the employees and help in improving productivity within the work areas.
Thirdly, it is essential to understand communication styles because they will help in solving conflict within the workplace. Conflict is a common thing within the workplace that arises due to a misunderstanding between various people. The presence of conflict within the organization is detrimental to its productivity; hence, the goals and objectives cannot be met. The management has to come up with ways that can be employed to deal with the conflict. One way that can be used is communication. Therefore, the management has to understand different communication styles to use the one which will help solve the conflict effectively.
The forth importance of understanding communication styles is that it helps to motivate the workers. Most workers within the workplace have different needs as well as desires which have to be met so that they can be motivated to work accordingly(Bakker-Pieper & de Vries, 2013). Therefore, the managers need to understand different communication styles to select the best option that they can use to interact with workers and identify some of their needs and desires and look for a way to meet them. After these needs have been met, the employees will feel motivated, and they will work hard to help improve the productivity of the organization.
Lastly, understanding communication styles is essential because it helps the workers in interacting with others(Bakker-Pieper & de Vries, 2013). When the workers are aware of the communication styles that can be used, they will employ what they feel suits a specific occasion when they are interacting with each other. Proper interaction will help the employees have a peaceful environment that will increase performance as well as productivity within the workplace.
References
Smith, P. B. (2011). Communication styles as dimensions of national culture. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 42(2), 216-233. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022022110396866
von Hippel, C., Wiryakusuma, C., Bowden, J., & Shochet, M. (2011). Stereotype and female communication styles. Personality and Social Psychology, 37(10), 1312-1324. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167211410439
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2014). Fundamentals of organizational communication. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Bakker-Pieper, A., & de Vries, R. E. (2013). The incremental validity of communication styles over personality traits for leader outcomes. Human Performance, 26(1), 1-19. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08959285.2012.736900
Hicks, J. M. (2011). Leader communication styles and organizational health. The health care manager, 30(1), 86-91. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/healthcaremanagerjournal/Fulltext/2011/01000/Leader_Communication_Styles_and_Organizational.13.aspx