Communication Styles

Leadership is important at every organization, and great leadership is even more valuable. “Executive presence” is the way a leader behaves — and while it may be hard to define, we know it when we see it. It’s when someone walks into a room and turns heads, and conversations open up to involve them. When they talk, people listen, and when they lead, people follow. A big factor is communication style.

Powerful executives know what their communication style is, and why it’s so important. If a person is aware of their style, navigating the complex work world becomes easier and they are likely to be more successful. They will be able to identify others’ communication styles and deal with them accordingly as they work as a team. Furthermore, if someone knows their own style plus their leader’s style, they are more likely to be able to connect with them professionally. This can lead to them having more input in company decisions and accelerating their career growth at the organization.

What is Communication?

It goes without saying that excellent communication is important in the workplace. Team members must work together and communicate effectively in order to meet goals. But how can we define communication? There are four distinct aspects of it:

• Verbal. The words used to communicate.
• Paraverbal. The manner used to communicate meaning, such as tone and inflection.
• Body language. The way people use their bodies to communicate, such as the way they shake hands or maintain eye contact.
• Personal space. interpersonal distance, or one’s preferred physical space in relation to others, as well as one’s appearance and arrangement of their work or home spaces.

To bring about meaningful improvements in communication skills, the best way to begin is to build a better understanding of the types of communication: personal communication styles and their effects on other people. The four communication styles are:

1. Direct. People who take charge, are in control, competitive, fast-paced, authoritative, and are great leaders.
2. Spirited. People who are enthusiastic, friendly, motivators, high-profile, and are decision makers.
3. Considerate. People who are warm, counseling, cooperative, reliable, and caring.
4. Systematic. People who are accurate, objective, factual, organized, and they focus on problem solving.

Once you know what your style is, you can read others to determine their style as well. Then, you can use your knowledge to determine how to approach leaders in your organization. If they have a direct style, for example, you will know when you speak to them you need to be clear, confident, and quick with your point.

How to Use Communication Style to Develop Relationships with Leaders

HRDQ is hosting a webinar titled “Talking With the Top” on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. EDT. Consultant Suzanne McCall will enhance participants’ existing skills and develop personal awareness, increased confidence, and better strategies for capturing the attention of decision makers.

Participants will learn the key factors for executive-level presentation success, discover the drivers of presentation results, and see how to develop the framework for a well-aligned executive-level presentation. Click here to register: Talking with the Top: Tips for Building and Using Your Executive Presence

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This webinar is based on the HRDQ training product What’s My Communication Style, which provides insight into our everyday communications with others. This assessment is appropriate for individuals at any organizational level who want to discover more about themselves and their communication preferences. Participants will understand the various forms of communication and learn how to “flex” their own personal style to improve communication. Learn more here: What’s My Communication Style.

“No one told me you needed that.”

“It’s not my fault I’m behind schedule. The other group missed their deadline.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me when this was due?”

Excuses like these are all telltale signs that an organization lacks a culture that emphasizes how to manage accountability. When team members don’t take responsibility for their own actions and leadership doesn’t consistently hold them accountable, it’s nearly impossible for a team to execute its strategy effectively. Without accountability, teams have difficulty building and maintaining the trust necessary for productive collaboration. This is especially challenging for virtual teams, which already face hurdles to forming strong relationships.

The best strategy for managing accountability is to establish a culture that emphasizes accountability before things go wrong. Accountability isn’t about assigning blame after problems develop; it provides a way for people to clarify what needs to be done and follow through on their commitments.

How to Establish a Foundation for Accountability

Clarify Expectations

The most important step in building a climate of accountability is establishing what expectations employees will be held to. In order for people to take responsibility for tasks, they first need to have a very clear idea of what they’re supposed to be accomplishing. Regardless of the industry in question, if goals are ambiguous or not well defined, it can be difficult for anyone to know how their individual efforts contribute to those outcomes. Communication is very important in this regard, not only at the onset of a project, but throughout its entire course.

Expectations also define what success looks like. If someone is being tasked with producing a specific deliverable, they need to know what that deliverable should look like if they’re going to be held accountable for it. Too much ambiguity leaves room for interpretation, which could result in two very different ideas of what constitutes an acceptable outcome. Without this foundation, there’s no basis for holding anyone accountable for results.

Establish Timetables

When expectations are established and goals clearly defined, it’s important to agree upon a timeline for monitoring and measuring progress. Here again, it’s important to eliminate ambiguity. Simply stating that a project must be completed “as soon as possible” or a deliverable produced “by next week” leave a lot of room for interpretation. Without a specific timeframe, people are more likely to prioritize tasks according to their own preferences, which can create significant problems if someone can’t begin or complete a task before someone else completes theirs.

Timetables also help to create accountability by measuring how much progress has been made toward a goal. If it becomes clear that someone on a team is lagging behind or consistently creating problems for others, team leaders can address the issue before it puts the project in jeopardy. When the entire team is struggling to meet key milestones, it may be an indication that the original timing and targets were too ambitious and need to be adjusted. Without a timetable, however, teams can wind up operating in the dark, unsure of where potential problems exist until the deadline arrives. By that time, it’s too late to make adjustments.

Follow Up

Having clear expectations and a timetable is one thing; knowing whether or not people are keeping to them is quite another. Accountability is a process, not an event. Leaders need to check in with team members periodically, providing guidance and feedback where necessary. To avoid making anyone feel like they’re being micromanaged, it’s best to mutually agree upon specific check-in times. Rather than framing these meetings as a safeguard to ensure work is getting done, it can be seen as a positive interaction in which team members have a chance to show their progress and seek assistance if they need it.

Communication is important in this process. If there are problems, they should be dealt with promptly rather than ignored. Frequent check-ins can also help cut through assumptions that can lead to greater problems down the road. If someone is operating on the assumption that another team member is doing something when they’re not, a quick check-in will clarify everyone’s present status.

Accountability After the Fact

It’s simply not realistic to expect every project to come off without a hitch. Sooner or later, something goes wrong in every organization or team. Their ability to take accountability for mistakes has a major impact on whether or not those same problems will affect future projects.

When things do go wrong, everyone involved needs to ask themselves three questions:

1. What, if anything, did I do that might have contributed to the problem?
2. What can be done to get things back on track?
3. What can I do to prevent this problem from happening again in the future?

Rather than putting the blame on any one person or group these questions encourage everyone on the team to think about positive steps they can take to resolve existing problems. It establishes the idea that accountability isn’t about assigning blame, but rather identifying opportunities and potential for improvement.

Managing accountability in others is an important skill for leaders looking to execute strategy effectively. While team members must ultimately learn to take accountability for their actions, good leaders find ways to facilitate that process and encourage people to take ownership and responsibility for their actions and the consequences of those actions. By taking steps to create a culture focused on accountability, they can set their teams on the path to consistent success.

HRDQ-U and Rick Lepsinger hosted a free webinar you can watch here!