Communication Styles Can Transform Your Meetings

Written by: Jenna Jenkins

A few months back when I was having lunch with Slice’s CEO, Cass Bailey, we discussed best practices to ensure alignment and that time spent on meetings is for high-value activities. She presented me with an example that is simple, yet incredibly effective when you find yourself at a wall.

Picture this: You’re a waiter working in a busy restaurant with overwhelmed staff. Your new table gets seated and they urgently ask for a soda with a lemon. As you head to the kitchen for the drink, another waiter approaches you, halting you in your tracks. They exclaim that there are no lemon slices available at the moment, so you must not bring the soda back to the table yet. An argument breaks out because, to you, the most important task is ensuring the customer gets the drink that they urgently ordered. However, your co-worker believes that because the customer clarified she wanted a lemon, she will be unsatisfied with receiving just a soda. As the arguing continues, the customer waits, with no drink or lemon. As you fail to come to a solution, the customer leaves the restaurant and gives a bad review online. She may never come back to this establishment.

Similar situations can happen often with a colleague or client, where you fail to come to a solution. There may be misalignment simply because no one is asking, “What is the priority?” In the above scenario, it is obvious that the soda should have been the priority, as the soda is important on its own, while the lemon only adds some flavor.

Oftentimes, there’s misalignment because communication styles differ. According to the National Community Action Partnership, there are four different types of communication styles:

Action-oriented
Process-oriented
Idea-oriented
People-oriented

An action-oriented communicator focuses on the objectives at hand and the actual results. A process-oriented communicator develops strategies and ensures everything is organized. An idea-oriented communicator may have their “head in the clouds” as they brainstorm innovative concepts. A people-oriented communicator builds relationships and has open communication for success.

What it all boils down to:

If you are a process-oriented communicator trying to plan an event for an action-oriented client, they may be focused on an objective or result that isn’t feasible. You can walk them through an organized process over and over, but there will continue to be bumps in the road if the priority is not established. When planning with an action-oriented communicator, it’s smart to be brief, practical, and include visual aids. The end goal is that you both have confirmed understanding and feel satisfied.

It’s also just as important to understand how you communicate with others. You will have a good handle on where you shine and where you may need some help. If you’re putting together a team for a project, it can be a great idea to have each communication style involved.

You can take the self-assessment here.

Adjusting to other communication styles may seem difficult at first, but once you are familiar with how each communicator works, it becomes easier to approach and assess situations. At Slice, we have a shared board that lists all employees’ communication styles. This makes it easy to reference and helps us ensure effective communication. You can find more information on communication styles here.

No matter how you communicate, Slice’s team of marketing experts is ready to offer the right creative solutions to reach your business goals. We customize strategies to reach the specific audience you need attention from most, so we’ll work together closely every step of the way.