Communicating with Different People's Styles

By Dr. Tony Alessandra

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The real value in understanding the four styles and their communication preferences is to be able to adapt your communication in a way that improves the reception of your message. The four styles are Director, Socializer, Thinker and Relater. When you understand your own style and the style of the person you are communicating with, you can adapt your "sending" style to better match the "receiving" style of the other person.

Understanding style will help you improve your communication in all work situations -- one-on-one, meetings, sales presentations, employee reviews, problem-solving sessions -- as well as in personal relationships.

Knowing how to adapt your communication to each of the different styles is the key to successful communication. However, adaptability requires not only the knowledge of how to adapt to each style but the willingness to communicate in ways other than your normal, preferred mode. It requires making strategic adjustments to your methods of communicating and behaving, based on the particular needs of the relationship at a particular time. It means making the choice to speak the language of the person you are with.

Everyone can learn to become more adaptable to other people's styles.

© 2007 Tony Alessandra
PWW-001-04067

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