The 4 Communication Styles

One of my clients has a CEO who is forceful, demanding, and aggressive in the way he communicates. He thinks he knows best and barks orders. I would label his communication style as “direct,” or in the language of DiSC, “dominant.”

One of the Vice Presidents on the team has the exact opposite style. She doesn’t say things directly, but more diplomatically, sometimes softening up her delivery, talking around issues, and ensuring the listener feels comfortable. I would say she has a “supportive” communication style.

As you can imagine, the VP was frustrated with the situation and had at one point shut down in the relationship, feeling aggravated and powerless.

But she knew she didn’t have to be, so she educated herself about the CEO’s communication style and applied that knowledge for better results (and less stress).

She realized the way to deal with a dominant-style communicator is to recognize what’s going on for them and what their communication needs are.

She started standing up for her ideas with straight, direct, get-to-the-issue-quickly, results-driven language. She said things in a way that never let her words seem like they were taking away the CEO’s autonomy or need for action and results.

She used framing like, “Look, it’s your decision, but here’s why I think we need to get other people’s input…”

By learning (and adapting to) the 4 Communication Styles, the VP is now much better able to create a space where the CEO is more willing to listen and see things her way.

The next four 2-Minute Tips will dive deeper into the 4 Communication Styles (Direct, Enthusiastic, Supportive, and Cautious), and I’ll share some tips from our DiSC Workshops on how to adapt to each.

BTW, this is just one approach to different communication styles. Here’s another.