How is everyone dealing with the early June heat wave? Have you found a good way to stay cool? Send me your ideas/tips for staying cool and I will share them throughout the summer! I’m not very creative when it comes to beating the heat, as my only tip is to stay in the shade and/or air conditioning. To be completely transparent, this past weekend I struggled with effective communication – listening and confirming what I have heard. The communication breakdown can happen rapidly and can spiral quickly from a slight misunderstanding to silent treatment and complete shutdown in the blink of an eye. I say this to remind you there is always room for improvement of communication skills and to increase your knowledge of all things communication.
To begin this week, I took this communication style quiz. Quiz – Communication Styles Survey | Straight Talk® Communication Tool (gostraighttalk.com) I found out that I am a thinker first and a director and expresser second. I agree with this except for those instances when my emotions take over and I am unable to see the whole picture (situation) clearly. The emotions that most often cloud my “vision” are anger and hurt. The good news is I can recognize the areas where I am weak, and the great news is I can now work to improve my skills in this area. Progress is reliant on awareness. In my massage business, I work with my clients to teach them to be more aware of their posture and to listen to their bodies. I invite you to take the quiz.
There are 4 communication styles, according to https://communicationstyles.org. I recognize that if you go to a different website, you will probably find more/different communication styles listed. I went with this site because of the amount of information offered and different topics covered. As we go through each communication style, do you recognize traits that you or others display?
The Thinker – This person is task oriented. They live by a set of rules and believe there is a right way do to things and there is a wrong way to do things. They do things by the book. They make lists but may procrastinate. They speak deliberately.
The Expresser – This person is very people oriented. This person is animated, entertaining, easily excited and speaks rapidly. They may be imprecise.
The Director – This person is goal oriented. They speak crisply and directly. They tend to be busy and make quick decisions. They can come across as intimidating or insensitive.
The Harmonizer – This person is relationship oriented. They are soft spoken and loyal. They are sensitive to others and avoid conflict. They may over-commit.
Everyone is some combination of these 4 styles and there is no one style that is better than the other. Next week we will dive deeper into these 4 different communication styles, highlighting the benefits and challenges associated with each style.
Whether this is the first time reading my blog, or you are a loyal subscriber, I am so glad you tuned in this week! Do you have a friend or family member that could benefit from this blog? Tell them to subscribe!
Have a blessed week ~ Lacey