Communication styles in the workplace - it’s personal

How to uncover your team's workplace communication style

If you're having a hard time with team communication, F4S is also a great tool.

With our most popular plan, you can set up a team and invite your colleagues to take the free assessment. You'll be able to see one another's preferences related to methods of communication, as well as shared insights such as your unique team culture, affinities, and differences.

Some team members may prefer one-on-one conversations; some may prefer notes in Slack. Some may prefer limited communication except on big projects. Understanding these preferences can ensure that your team is more productive and motivated.

The benefits of face-to-face meetings

In the March 2017 issue of Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, there was a study entitled “Ask in person; you’re less persuasive over email.” The study found that in-person requests or project pivots were 34 -- yes, 34 -- times more effective than those communicated over email or messenger platforms.

There are different channels and approaches that work best for different types of messages. It will vary by person, but at a high level:

• Complicated processes or career adjustments: These need to happen in-person, or at the very least face-to-face on video.
• Quick requests and needs: These can happen over email, Slack, etc. but the requester needs to be available face-to-face for additional context or questions when needed.
• Links, memes, other “content” that flies around workplaces: Slack, emails, and messenger platforms.

It’s helpful to have honest communication by talking to each of your team members and understanding their preferences on both emails and meetings (do they overwhelm them?)

If you have a generally negative team view of one or both, consider using them sparingly if you can, or reserve meetings for very important discussions, so that they have an air of mattering more.

How to communicate complex ideas

Here’s research from Northwestern on how to communicate more complicated ideas, which they ultimately parse into six tools:

• Data
• Logic
• Equations
• Pictures
• Stories
• Participation

This is more about presentations, which are an important aspect of communication in the workplace. The approach argues you need the right:

• intel/numbers (data),
• a logical application of that data,
• some equations (how you arrived at your conclusions),
• pictures (we are a visual species), stories (those tremendously resonate with our brains),
• and then involving others in tweaking and discussing the ideas.

There are thousands of pieces of advice about giving better presentations, including “A.I.M.” (audience, intent, and message) or asking more questions of your audience. All can help improve presentations, and ultimately presenters need to find the style and approach that works best for them. But the Northwestern approach above is firmly rooted in the business world ethos of the moment: data-driven, story-guided, and logic above all. Aim for that, and work with your team to present in this way.

Communication method: pause for 45 seconds

After the presentation of a new idea by a member of your team, pause for 45 seconds and respond with respect.

We endorse this approach, although 45 seconds can admittedly feel like an eternity, especially if your specific culture is rooted in decisiveness as a core value. Pause for a time that feels comfortable to you to evaluate new concepts before instantly responding.

The founders of Basecamp summarize the need to pause and reflect well here:

At most companies, people put together a deck, reserve a conference room, and call a meeting to pitch a new idea. If they’re lucky, no one interrupts them while they’re presenting. (But usually, someone jumps in and derails the presentation after two minutes.) When it’s over, people react. This is precisely the problem. The person making the pitch has presumably put a lot of time, thought, and energy into gathering their thoughts and presenting them. But the rest of the people in the room are asked to react. Not absorb, not think it over, not consider — just react. Knee-jerk it. That’s no way to treat fragile new ideas.

One of the recommendations to have more inclusive presentations, pitches, meetings, and team huddles is to start with a written document. Famously, companies like Amazon and Basecamp (where the above quote is pulled from) have done this.

It provides more context on the idea or topic at hand, allows time for reflective thought, and doesn’t lend itself to a “reaction”-driven context where people feel the need to say the first thing that pops into their head. This can improve employee morale and limit negative behavior since there is time for people to process the content individually first.

It’s not perfect, no -- people might rush through the memo, etc. -- but it’s a good approach to being more inclusive around communication in the workplace.

Should leaders aim to communicate less?

That argument has been made, often by pointing to the philosophies of Lao Tzu, who has said:

“The wise leader speaks rarely and briefly. After all, no other natural outpouring goes on and on. It rains and then it stops. It thunders and then it stops…The leader teaches more through being than through doing. The quality of one’s silence conveys more than long speeches.”

There is some validity to this approach. There is a consistent amount of advice and thought leadership on the need to “over-communicate,” and some employees will need that, yes.

But in general, a focus on over-communication can lead directly to micromanagement, or a company can push out too many external resources (blog posts, press releases, studies, quizzes, etc.) that ultimately very few are consuming.

Sometimes silence is golden, and if you trust your team (which ideally you do), the times for over-communication are around bigger, high-level strategic issues. The rest of the time you should aim for a balance that provides a healthy work environment, so as not to overwhelm your team with 24/7 communication that will contribute to work burnout.

Again, your ‘sweet spot’ of communication will vary by the people on your team.

A communication plan for the workplace

Here are few more concepts and ideas to consider if you feel your team isn't communicating well:

• Talk to each team member about their preferred approaches to communicating.
• Find out more about the personality types on your team. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a well-known tool that can help.
• Audit the success of your tech software and comms tools.
• Identify where communication issues tend to occur:
• meetings without action items or team agendas
• specific channels such as email, Slack, or Zoom meetings
• specific team members

You may need to refocus on how you design meetings, construct emails as a team, or provide constructive feedback to team members.

How to measure communication in the workplace

In terms of measuring how effectively your team communicates, here are some approaches:

Anecdotal observation:

This is less data-driven and scientific, but you can try to pay attention to:

• how people are responding to different channels,
• if deadlines are being met,
• any flare-ups between team members that need conflict resolution,
• how other departments and teams are responding to your team,
• what the perception of your team is in the overall organization, and more.

There are a lot of things in a given organization that people “know” but can’t necessarily “track,” and this falls in there.

Turnover reasons:

There has been research over time from SHRM that, beyond compensation issues or bad management, the top reason people leave roles is a lack of communication and clarity on key projects.

When people do choose to leave you, ask them why. Have structured exit interviews. If “communication in the workplace” keeps coming up, you have a problem and need to double down on creating a positive work environment.

Peer reviews:

Ask team members to, anonymously or otherwise, review the communication styles, email etiquette, meeting decorum, and more of their colleagues -- on your team and in other departments. Learn what people think about the communication ecosystem around them. It’s your launch pad for improving the employee experience.

Surveys:

Survey your team members about tools, emails, meetings, memos, communication styles, and more. Try it four times per year and see where the scores land.

The best communication style at work is personalized

Now that you know there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to communication in the workplace, you can be more intentional with your communication. Get to know your team and try some of the recommendations we shared, then watch the positive progress begin to build.