COMMUNICATION STYLES

At work and at home, each of us and our styles of communication are different. In turn our personal communication styles will dictate to a great extent our success in coordinating action and in relationships. It's unfortunate that we usually enter into communication situations without awareness of our personal styles of communicating. We just do what comes naturally to us. One thing is certain: every communicator anywhere continually THINKS and ACTS. This is where we begin our exploration of communication styles: how we Think and Act.

Acting Style 1: The Stimulators
People with this acting style try hard to implement new actions quickly and spontaneously, without structure. On teams and in meetings, stimulators will speak up to suggest easier ways to accomplish work and will be the first to hold new approaches to old problems. Because they get adjusted to dynamic situations, they'll be listening for rumors and clues about the next new program or initiative. They are oriented to individual action and achievement, and thus listen for appreciation of what they've accomplished on their own.

Acting Style 2: The Processors
Processors prefer to act according to a structured and systematic plan. They prefer to combine new actions into existing systems. They're much less captivated of radical change than their Stimulator brethren. They stay on the alert on uniting different parts of different programs together, and look for appreciation of the processes and systems they design rather than grand individual achievements.

Thinking Style 1: The Innovators
Innovators are in love with ideas. They're future-oriented and continually focused on opportunities and possibilities. There are few ideas and concepts that escape their attention, and they'll keep sifting these in their minds until they find some pieces that they can apply to problems at hand. In most organizations, these are the people who get tasked with brainstorming new products and programs, and "out of the box" initiatives.

Thinking Style 2: The Analyzers
Analyzers take the same amount of mental energy their Innovator colleagues use and apply it to dissecting ideas, processes, and programs. They are information harvesters who challenge ideas and assumptions with facts, data, and information. They're always listening for hidden problems and solutions and like to be appreciated for their thorough investigations.

The Thinking and Acting Styles create combinations that predict how people will apply their styles when communicating with others (including when they're in leadership roles!). The Four Primary Communication Styles are: CHANGERS, PERFORMERS, CONSERVATORS, and PERFECTORS.

The Changers
Changers combine the creative thought power of Innovators with the bold action orientation of Stimulators. Changers take new ideas and work to make them happen by implementation. They create change through experimentation instead of analysis, preferring to implement first and fine tune later. Changers tend to be free-thinking "sparkplugs" driven to act on new ideas.
Their communication style is: "Great idea; let's try it!"

The Perfectors
Perfectors combine the creative thought power of Innovators with the powerful analysis and investigation skills of Analyzers. Whereas Changers will implement first and fine tune later, Innovators take a new idea and "try it on for size" in their minds. They tend to appraise, refine, and perfect before implementation. They are free thinkers drawn to new ideas, but will be cautious to act before assessing probable outcomes and understanding the details.
Their communication style is: "Great idea; let's think about it."

The Performers
Performers take the bold acting style of Stimulators and join it with the structured acting style of Processors. The result is a person can take proposed systems and processes and implements themimmediately. They are the "doers" in organizations; the "go-to" people who can be counted on to act and lead according to management's game plan, especially in a crisis.
They are structured thinkers whose communication style is: "Here's the plan. Let's do it now!"

The Conservators
Like their Performer colleagues, Conservators prefer the structured acting style of Processors combined with the analysis skills of Analyzers. The result is a person who can take existing systems and procedures and improve them through careful, incremental actions that have been thoroughly assessed for consequences. Their talent is an ability to analyze the familiar and apply structured thinking to improve it. These are the "rock solid" people in organizations who you can rely on to manage important processes that, for example, result in certification of professionals and drugs, and issuance of governmental permits.
Their communication style can be summarized in the statement, "Let's work to improve the current plan."