Differing Communication Styles and How to Get Them to Work Together Are You Talking to Me? Differing Communication Styles and How to Get Them to Work Together

Brittnay McMillian Assistant Director for Transfer Recruitment The University of Alabama Melinda Williams Senior Scholarship Counselor Talk about why after intros

Overview Quiz Discussion of communication styles Scenarios Working with different communication styles Wrap up

Quiz What’s your style?

Thinker Positives Negatives Likes structure Has talent for analyzing a situation Treats people fairly Follows policies and rules Values accuracy and preciseness Does not always act with urgency due to being overly cautious Does not always see the value in working as a team Does not always take others’ feelings into account

Connector Positives Negatives Builds rapport Communicates tactfully Considers impact on people when making decisions Takes an interest in the person behind the job Overly personalizes situations Occasionally overlooks important details Sometimes allows relationships to cloud judgement Not planning accordingly often causes disorganization

Controller/Director Positives Negatives Focuses on actions, results and rewards Acts in a way that is resourceful, determined and practical Makes decisions quickly Works efficiently Can be impulsive, competitive, aggressive and impatient Can alienate others when under stress Can be poor listeners; often interrupts

Influencer Positives Negatives Inspires and encourages others Focuses on ways to improve the situation around them Visionary Loves to learn new skills May procrastinate May not follow through on tasks May be absent-minded May seem impractical in decision making May seem hard to read

Scenarios How do we use this?

Scenario Questions Which scenario did you choose? How did you make that decision? How did you come to a solution? What did that process look like? What part did everyone play in the discussion? Who controlled the discussion? What was your solution?

Communicating with a Thinker Be precise; state the facts Organize your discussion in a logical order Include options and alternatives with pros and cons Do not rush a process-oriented person

Communicating with a Connector Allow for small talk; do not jump right in to the topic at hand Stress the relationship between your proposal and the people concerned Show how the idea worked well in the past Indicate support from well-respected people

Communicating with a Controller/Director Focus on the result first; state the conclusion at the outset State your best recommendation; do not offer many alternatives Be as brief as possible Emphasize the practicality of your ideas

Communicating with an Influencer Allow enough time for discussion Try to relate the discussed topic to a broader concept or idea Stress the uniqueness of the idea Emphasize future value or relate the impact of the idea to the future

Conclusion What do we do with this?

Sources Communication Styles: A Self-Assessment Exercise (Based on the work of P Case “Teaching for the Cross-Cultural Mind” Washington, DC, SIETAR, 1981 Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities http://dbhdd.georgia.gov/DHR-DFCS/DHR_DFCS- Edu/Files/Communication%20Styles%20Assessment.doc

Questions??