What is the most important thing a person does when he is born and before he died?
Communication!!!
Yes, Communication is the most important thing we do in our life. Communication takes place in many forms – sometime verbal sometime written and sometime in signs language; even when we are not speaking our body language is communicating. Our facial expression, sitting postures and gestures are communicating with the outside environment.
But do we know what our communication style is? Do we know the most important and never-ending thing we are doing; are we doing it correctly? We communicate with family, friends, office colleagues, our boss and estrangers in our day-to-day life; do we care why we fail to communicate our thoughts or our view to other people? Why sometime we have to think that why the other person does not understand the simplest thing we communicate to him.
The reason could be the communication style. It is important to understand the communication style of person you are communicating with. This person could be your spouse, your children, your friends, relatives, office colleagues or the estranged shopkeeper you just talk to.
Communication style broadly falls into three categories
- Auditory Style- Visual Style
- Kinesthetic Style
Every person has their individual communication style and his style falls into any of the three category.
Auditory Style
People with auditory style rely strongly on the sounds and words which they hear and make sense out of it. In other words they do create memories and thoughts using images, feelings, tastes but they give top priority to sound i.e. hearing.
How do you recognize an Auditory Style person?
Gesture: A person with auditory style will appear very modest and sensible in his gestures. When they are in meeting they are very attentive to speech. Look out for people in the meetings who tilt their heads while listening, these people has “auditory style” of communication.
Eye-Movement: A person with auditory style will move his eye to right (in right-handed people) or left (in left-handed people) while listening to sound. While remembering some sound and words the eye movements of right-handed people are into left and for left-handed people it is right.
Have you seen people talking to themselves?
Next time when you notice this, watch his eyes. If eyes move down and to the left he is a right-handed person and has auditory style of communication. If eyes move down and to the right he is a left-handed person and has auditory style of communication. A person with auditory style will be loud and might be audible while talking to himself.
Speaking Style: Another clue to recognize a person with an auditory style is that, he/she uses a lot of verb such as quiet, talk, speak, loud, listen, echo etc. in his speech while talking. They speak in low and musical voice.
A person with an auditory style is very much attracted to what he hears i.e. sound and music.
How do deal with an auditory style person?
Auditory styles people rely mainly on sound which they hear so next time when you have to give some message to them give it verbally; they will not only remember it but also like it.
Since a person of auditory style is very sensitive to sound and what he hears; he/she is easily diverted by Noise. So, next time when you have to share information or give feedback to an auditory person use a peaceful place for communication.
While doing conversation with auditory style person we should be careful to how we sound and what word we use; our tone, our pitch and speed of talking; this all play important role for them.
So any guesses what will you gift to an auditory person? Something related with Sound or music. Did you say a ticket to a music concert? Yes that is right. Anything which makes sound such as Audio tapes or music stuff or ticket to some concert is ideal gift for them.
We should be speaking Face-to-Face or on phone with people with auditory style of communication.
The point is if you know the communication style of the person it is easy to communicate with him and build a good rapport with him.
I hope you like the article
More to come!!
- Project Quality Management: What is Quality?
- What is XMR Chart?
- Do you care for your Communication Style?
- Do you care for your Visual Communication Style?
- Do you care for your Kinesthetic Communication Style?
- How to improve your V.O.I.C.E?
- PM: How accurate is your Project Cost Estimates?
- PM: Do you know your Project Cost?
