March 6, 2024
Strong communication skills are the epitome of a strong leader. However, as discussed in our previous blog, you do not necessarily need to be the best speaker or writer to be an effective communicator. The main skill you need to master is communicative adaptability.
Robert L. Duran, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Hartford, explains that communicative adaptability “is conceptualized as the ability to perceive socio-interpersonal relationships and adapt one’s behaviors and goals accordingly.”
Being able to recognize people’s different behavioural styles and tailor your delivery based on their needs can be challenging, but an important skill for any leader to acquire. Effective communication is not only a skill that is associated with meaningful workplace relationships and productivity. For leaders, it can mean the difference between dictating or inspiring work among their employees.
This kind of emotional intelligence is integral to any organization. As one Forbes article outlines, “Good communication skills are also crucial for leaders in the corporate world for inspiring both stakeholders outside the company and uniting the internal team into one cohesive group. Strong relationships can boost company resilience and success while increasing talent retention rates.”
In this article, Forbes outlines “six characteristics of effective communication in leadership”. They are: active listening, conciseness and clarity, relatability, transparency, consistency, and (the most important for the purposes of this blog) individual communication styles.
The article mainly outlines various channels of delivery (e.g., face-to-face interactions, Slack messages, group presentations, etc.). We argue, however, that tailoring your communication style does not stop at the channel you choose to deliver your message. The information you provide must also match other people’s styles. Before crafting or sending a message to someone, take a moment to ask: What do they need?
There are four simple tips you can embrace to start becoming more adaptable with your communication. Picture this: You need to speak with someone on your team about a project proposal they made earlier that week. You should:
- Pinpoint the other person’s style.
Ask yourself: What are their fears and values associated with this project? What is their behavioural or communication style? By asking these questions, you are taking a moment to “put yourself in their shoes”. With greater awareness about their style, you will be able to provide more effective, empathetic, and meaningful feedback.
- Consider how this person likes to receive information.
Ask yourself: What do they need from this conversation? How much or how little information would they like to have? What channel would be most effective? Choose a style that will work best for your recipient and the nature of the conversation. For example, a quick MS Teams message may not be the most suitable channel for a sensitive topic.
- Try to learn more about their motivations.
Ask yourself: What is driving this person’s performance? How can I leverage that in my communications? This step will help you connect with the other person’s values and understand how they like to operate overall. For example, while some people thrive in competition, others are motivated by being someone else’s support system. Framing tasks and communications with a greater sense of understanding and consciousness will help generate the excitement necessary to execute tasks effectively.
- Employ respectful influence.
Ask yourself: How can I put steps one to three together to make my message resonate in the best way? The trick is to connect someone’s style to their values.
This may seem like a complicated or convoluted process, but it becomes easier and quicker as time progresses. It is important to take the necessary time to prioritize effective communication and adaptability since it will ultimately lead to less miscommunication and tension in the workplace, and more trust and symbiotic relationships.
Not everyone fits into the same category nor should they. At the end of the day, people’s individual styles are oftentimes their greatest assets.
“Developing an instinctive leadership style that understands the best way to serve the needs of the organization is to serve and develop the people that the organization is depending on. Understanding the different ways that people communicate, behave, and actually process information, is one of the key skills of a good leader.”
Dan Doyle, Program Director, SoftSkillable™ Member Experience
Effective leaders ensure each one of their team members are seen and heard and that can start with them being intentional in the ways they communicate. Think about it on the receiving end: You also have your own communicative and behavioural style, so would it not be nice and convenient for your colleagues to cater to your needs? Yes, it would.
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