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The Four Communication Styles

Everyone has a signature style of communicating. 
The most effective communicators tailor their style to fit their audience!



Director: Directors are hard-charging, want information in quick, bottom line bullet points, are action-oriented leaders, focused on results. The director’s style of communicating is assertive and task-oriented. The Director’s style is to assume that quick action and decisiveness yield the best results. Directors frame the world as a competitive place of action and decisiveness.

Expresser: Expressers focus on leading through their creative ideas. They want a fuller exploration of different options and ideas. The expresser's style of communicating is assertive and people-oriented. Their operating assumption is that people should feel free to voice their opinions, think outside of the box, and articulate what they feel. They truly enjoy entertaining. Expressers focus on the world as an intricate place where people are acknowledged for their lifetime achievements and creativity.

Thinker: Thinkers are detail-oriented leaders and focused on what it takes to get the job done right. They want to hear the detailed thinking behind a proposal. The communication style of the Thinker tends to be less assertive than that of the Director or Expresser. Like Directors, Thinkers are also task oriented; they assume that there’s a best way to do things – and it’s their job to make sure no mistakes are made. They often feel rewarded when a goal is achieved. They frame the world as a place in which to solve problems and get things done.

Harmonizer: Harmonizers lead by supporting others, who want to understand the impact of any proposal on people. Their style of communication is also far less assertive than that of the Director or Expresser. Similar to Expressers, Harmonizers are also very people oriented. They operate on the assumption that they need to look after the needs of the team and other people’s welfare. There is a feeling of accomplishment when the team does well. They often see the world as a place where personal relationships are an extremely important part of their lives and they prefer to collaborate in the workforce.

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