COMM Week 2 Notes

Week 2 (Notes): Reading : ● 4 Communication Styles: ○ When a person is sending a message to a wide audience; they feel that their communication isn't landing as well as they thought. ■ Because you send a message to a variety of personalities - so as a project leader (social worker); you need to make sure that your messagelands with all of them. ● Hint: to do so; you need to know who you’re working with so you can cater to their communication style. Thus, Understanding the different types of communicators and how to communicate withother effectively can help you: 1. Take a personal communication approach that helps you build trust2. Find ways to make your message land with any individual or group3. Work with your team to establish communication methods that work for everyone4. Identify communication issues and find alternative modes or methods5. Relax knowing you’re doing everything you can to communicate well Video: ● In this video we will learn how to understand our own communication style and how it coincides with those of others. 4 Communication Styles: 1. Analytical a. Analytical communicators lead with facts, not emotions. i. They prefer concrete data and numbers and typically dislike when thingsare unclear. ii. They trust those who are in command of facts and aren’t concerned aboutthe process that got you to your data as long as it’s correct. b. Where the analytical communication style shines: i. They are all business, which means they typically hold a relativelyunemotional view of things - thus, allows them to use logic and data tomake decisions and work out problems. ii. Colleagues often look to analytical communications for - informationexpertise and objectivity; as their focus on facts enables them to stayneutral in most situations. c. What to be aware of with analytical communicators:

i. Emotional words don’t hold sway with them - they rely so heavily on datathat you’ll lose their trust quickly if you don’t have a firm grasp on thefacts. ii. No emotional intelligence; may seem rude; not with them tho - They’resimply more focused on reaching a goal and prefer to keep interpersonalissues or communications separate. d. How to speak an analytical communicator’s language: ● Focus on facts and data to support the points you’re making ● Be clear, concise, and logical in the language you use ● Make sure you’re prepared with facts to back up any proposal, argument, or idea you bring to them. Cite sources or quote others whencommunicating in writing. ● Don’t push for immediate decisions. Present your data, and give them time to think through things rationally. ● When possible, present your ideas or arguments with options for possible outcomes. ● Be prepared to answer questions - and maybe even anticipate them - so you can come to the table with well-thought-out responses. ● If you want to build relationships with these folks, know they typically put work first. 2. Intuitive a. They never get lost in the details. i. They prefer seeing the big picture so they can get right to the point ii. They make decisions quickly because they don’t overanalyze the situationor get overwhelmed easily. b. Where the intuitive communication style shines: i. They are able to look at the overarching situation to understandchallenges and opportunities and will quickly act on that. ii. Their knack for big-picture thinking means they are not afraid to challengethe status quo, and that often makes them great innovators. c. What to be aware of with intuitive communicators: i. Because they lack the patience to dig into details, they run the risk ofmissing important points or skipping steps that could negatively impacttheir work.

ii. You will have to check in on their progress and make sure you’ve got aprocess in place to check their final work product for errors. d. How to speak intuitive commmunicatos’s language: ● Share big-picture situations, and avoid nitty-gritty discussions about process. ● Focus on the end product, and only zoom in on critical details when you need to. ● Remember that getting in the weeds will only frustrate them. ● When discussing ideas, provide a variety to think on. ● Use existing visuals or sketch out ideas to ensure your points are sticking. 3. Functional a. They love being in command of details, as they value specs, timeline, strategies, and plans. i. Their attention to detail means they work hard to make sure no stonegoes unturned. ii. They focus on process, communicate end goals, and prefer seeing thingspresented in a stepped-out, logical fashion. b. Where the functional communication style shines: i. They are great at breaking down situations to consider every aspect -because they thrive on process and mind the details, that often earnsthem trust on teams. ii. Team members often look to them to implement new strategies or playdevil’s advocate where necessary. (they are often in project managementroles). c. What to be aware of with functional communicators: i. They can get so caught up in details they run the risk of annoying or evenlosing the attention of their audience. d. How to speak a functional communicator’s language: ● Connect conversations and points to a process or a plan. ● Always provide clear context and structure with your communications, making sure any arguments, points, tasks, or to-does outlined in yourdiscussion have a distinct start and end. (bullet points often work well). ● Be specific in pointing out how a certain action (or inaction) could impact current or future tasks, affecting the overall project outcome.

4. Personal a. They are the people who easily make meaningful connections with others. i. They’re natural communicators who embrace emotional language, listenwell, and truly value building and maintaining personal relationships. b. Where the personal communication style shines: i. Their ability to connect with others and form relationships often makes thepersonal communicator a strong team lead - they want things to go well;not only with communications but also productivity and - can sense whenthings are getting off track. ii. They are often able to gauge team morale and even smooth over conflictbecause of the value they place on maintaining healthy relationships. Forthat reason, personal communication is often seen as the ‘glue’ that holdsa team together. c. What to be aware of with personal communicators: i. While building strong connections at work is great, relationships cansometimes get in the way of work. This is where analytical communicationmay call out, or even lose patience with, a personal communicator. ii. That’s why it's important for a personal communicator to be aware of theirsurroundings, in command of facts, or at least take full responsibility fortheir tasks or roles. d. How to speak a personal communicator’s language: ● Use emotive language with details to help connect your point to their emotional way of thinking and communicating. ● Be authentically yourself to help establish a personal connection. ● Listen and show genuine interest in what they have to say. ● Talk through situations and outcomes, relaying points about how the outcomes will personally affect those involved. ● Understand that personal communicators take everyone's perspective into consideration, and that can take time. Be patient - and open to -various viewpoints, but know when to narrow your conversation down toguide it to outcomes. ● Try to get one-on-one time so you can deepen your connection and understand what motivates them beyond your relationship.