Communication Styles - Article, Exercises, and Vocab

8/10/2019 Communication Styles - Article, Exercises, and Vocab

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http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ofce-diaries/201110/communication-styles-what-avor-are-you

Communication Styles: What Flavor are You?What taste do you leave in people's mouths?Published on October 23 2!"" by#onna Fla$$inO%%ice #iaries

&here are many ays to identi%y communication styles but most o% them have problems( First

they tend to label people ith ords that create room %or )ud$ment( *ntrovert e+trovert

a$$ressive passive all have assumptions attached some desirable and others not so much(

Second they bo+ people into cate$ories an approach o% hich * am not a %an( While they may

help or$ani,e somethin$ as unruly as people and their personal styles they also limit our ability to

understand communication as a to-ay e+chan$e( What about the person on the receivin$ end?

.ohere do e really tal/ about the e%%ect our styles have on others( 0nd shouldn't that be hatreally counts? 0%ter all i% no one ere listenin$ ould any o% it matter? *n other ords a$$ressive

is only a$$ressive to those ho aren't and the same is true %or any other de%inition e place on

people( *t's all relative( &he one label e do need thou$h in my opinion is 1ne$ative1 or 1positive(1

*t tells you all you need to /no because that is the /ey variable that determines both the uality

and outcome o% interpersonal communications

When * rote my boo/ about di%%icult conversations * thou$ht a lot about ho e can better

understand the chemistry o% communication( *n the process * became increasin$ly convinced that

it is not about hat some model or theory tells us e are( * also thou$ht about all the times in my

career *'d been described as 1intense1 and it as ith enou$h %reuency that * /ne it as a

pattern( ut hat did that mean? &here as no bo+ %or that( 1*ntense li/e 4isterine?1 * once as/edand had someone anser 1Yes e+actly( &hat's ho you %eel( *t stin$s li/e a le%t hoo/ to the )a(1

&hat $ot me thin/in$(

* am inclined to $et to the point and appreciate hen others do the same( &he more direct

someone is ith me and the less peripheral chatter * have to si%t throu$h to understand him or her

the better( ut not everyone elcomes the ,in$ the bite and the stin$ that can accompany this

/ind o% communication style( Probably the least li/ely o% hom are the less 1intense1 %ol/s perhaps

those ho are more mild in their style - li/e Scope( &hin/ about the comparison( You can %eel it(

&hey tend to have a less pointed delivery hich at times can also mean they seem less direct( So

%or the 4isterines there ill invariably be times hen it is necessary to temper their intensity ith a

bu%%ered more atered-don approach in order to ma/e dissimilar people %eel more com%ortable(4i/eise Scopes may need to adapt the same ay( *'m not sayin$ it alays or/s( *t is

impossible to control ho someone else is $oin$ to process and interpret your ords and ho you

say them( &hat in the trade is hat e call 1ba$$a$e1 and it belon$s solely to the person ho is

carryin$ it( ut hat e can do is be aare o% ho e a%%ect people hen e spea/ and try to be

as sensitive to their receptors as possible(

*n summary i% you loo/ throu$h the lens o% ener$y 5it bein$ either positive or ne$ative6 and

intensity 5scalin$ it as either hi$h or lo6 you ill see that they end up bein$ the characteristics

that cause the most harmony or the most dissonance(

Exercises copyright 201! - "#ir$smeier
http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/donna-flagghttp://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/donna-flagghttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/office-diarieshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/office-diarieshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/office-diarieshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/donna-flagg


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"( Which closest describes the author7s %eelin$s about individual communication styles?

a( Communication problems can be avoided completely as lon$ as e adapt to the style pre%erred

by the person ith hom e are communicatin$(

b( *t is important to cate$ori,e yoursel% as in indirect or direct communicator to /no here your

%aults lie ith re$ards to communication(

c( &he most important and salient point about communication styles is that e must become adept

at predictin$ ho our choice o% ords ill be interpreted by and a%%ect the other party(

2( *n the author7s opinion hat is the problem ith labelin$ communication styles? #o you a$ree?

3( &he author compares to brands o% mouthash 4isterine and Scope( What type o% communicator is

compared to 4isterine and hich to Scope? #o you thin/ the comparison is apt?

3( What connectin$ phrases and ords does the author use in her e+planation?

8( What is meant by 9ba$$a$e? Whose ;problem7 is it?

nruly inclined peripheral chatter ,in$ pointed 59less pointed delivery6 invariably

temper 5v(6 bu%%ered atered-don solely receptor scalin$ dissonance

( ord %amilies

( What is your communication style? @ive an e+ample(

A( 0( #o you a$ree ith the author7s assertion that 9i% Be loo/ throu$h the lens o% ener$y 5it bein$

either positive or ne$ative6 and intensity 5scalin$ it as either hi$h or lo6 Be ill see that they end up

bein$ the characteristics that cause the most harmony or the most dissonance? 5Writin$6

( #e%end your communication style(



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http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ofce-diaries/201110/communication-styles-what-avor-are-you>nruly: 5ad)6 disorderly di%%icult to controlD disruptive

*ncline: 5v6 to thin/ or to cause 5someone6 to thin/ that somethin$ is probably true or correct E %olloedby to verb

Bno ob)ect * incline to a$ree ith you( BG5more commonly6 * am inclined to a$ree ith youB ob)ect &he evidence inclines me to thin/ that she isn't $uilty( BGma/es me thin/ that she probably isn't

$uiltyE 0lso n( incline inclined

*nclined: 5ad)6 used ith verbs li/e a$ree thin/ believe suppose etc( to e+press a thou$ht or opinion thatis not stron$ or certain

*'m inclined to a$ree ith you( BG* thin/ you are probably correctWe're inclined to thin/ she as mista/en( BGe thin/ she as probably mista/en

Peripheral: 5ad)6 not relatin$ to the main or most important part*% e %ocus too much on peripheral issues e ill lose si$ht o% the $oal(E o%ten toHis role in the ne$otiations as peripheral to the outcome( BGhis role in the ne$otiations

as not important in decidin$ the outcomeE also: nounD peripherally 5adv6

Chatter: 5n6 casual tal/ that is not usually important or interestin$5v6 tal/ in a uic/ or casual ayD ma/e clic/in$ sounds by /noc/in$ to$ether rapidlyD ma/e %ast

and hi$h-pitched sounds

Iin$: 5n6 an e+citin$ or stimulatin$ ualityD ,estD a sharply piuantJspicy %lavor5vob)ect6 >S K insult or critici,e someone in a sharp clever or play%ul ayD stin$5ad)6 ,in$y

They needed to put some zingback into their relationship.

The chili peppers give the sauce a little extra zing.

Pointed: 5ad)6 bein$ to the pointD pertinentD direct5n6 pointedness5adv6 pointedly

*nvariably: 5adv6 on every occasionD alays5ad)6 invariable5n6 invariance

&emper: 5v6 ma/e somethin$ less severe or e+tremeD cause somethin$ 5$lass steel chocolate6 tobecome hard and stron$ by coolin$ it5ad)6 tempered temperable5n6 disposition

u%%ered: 5ad)6 cushioned less severe milder5v6 bu%%er - protect lessen harm%ul e%%ects5n6 bu%%er - protective barrier

atered-don 5ad)6 synonym o% bu%%eredD dilutedD ea/ened5v6 to ater don5n6 aterin$ don

Solely: 5adv6 only )ustD ithout anythin$ or anyone else involved5ad)6 sole

Leceptor: 5n6 receiverD a $roup o% cells that receives stimuli5ad)6 receptive

Scale: 5v6 uali%y ei$h cate$ori,e J 5n6 5ad)6 scaled



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#issonance: 5n6 lac/ o% a$reementD inconsistency beteen actions and belie%s5ad)6 dissonant


Communication Styles - Article, Exercises, and Vocab

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