The Way We Speak It

 *This Article was used of an assignment during my enrollment at Capella University* 

    It The baby took a final stretch before rubbing their eyes followed by a sweet, little yawn. The father lifted the child and cradled them into his arms. The mother leaned over and gave the child a kiss on the cheek. The parents walked the baby upstairs to its crib. The father gently laid the baby down and the mother covered the child with a soft blanket; it was time for a lullaby. The father leaned into the crib and pointed a firm finger at the baby. “Go to sleep. Listen to your mother’s song and I better not hear a sound!”, commanded the father. The mother plugged up her microphone, turned up the amplifier and hollered to see if the baby was ready for bedtime. After the rocking lullaby the parents turned off the lights and looked at their baby. The baby lay stiff and alert in the crib. With a heavenly sigh, they both said good night and left the room. 

     I am confident enough to say that their baby did not sleep well, and the parents are unaware of their communication style. Communication style is the way we speak out message to other people. It involves tone, expression, wording, intentions and timing. When your communication style is not ideal, your audience will not fully understand the encoder (encoder error), become confused while decoding (decoder malfunction) or provide counterproductive feedback. Like the scenario mentioned above, the baby probably became scared of their parents (encoder error), lost in communication of their attempts (decoder malfunction) and cried (counterproductive feedback). When engaging with another person, it is important to know multiple styles of communication to create trust, understanding, adaptability and union. 

 We Speak Aggressive 

     Even though it may make the speaker feel powerful, the Aggressive Communication Style is not optimum. This communication style will produce a fearful team that will feel inadequate in the speaker’s presence. Meeting with the speaker will be difficult due to their constant interruptions and destructive tactics like ignoring smaller voice, bullying another’s perspective and exalting a self-righteous demeanor. The teammates may start to reject the speaker’s great ideas and decision because of their communication style. Understanding their team and work environment will allow a more sensitive style to appear whenever the speaker needs to communicate. I like to think aggressive communication style can be triggered easily during decisions that are reactive, making the speaker or leader feel stressed and pressured. Breathing techniques and remembering their control will help calm this unpleasant style. 

 We Speak Passive 

     Using softer tones and gentle approaches are admirable, but weak and timid communication can lead to dominance of opposing forces and confusion. A passive speaker avoids conflicts and will tolerate inappropriate conversation due to their avoidant nature. While a more aggressive style maybe recommended, it would result in more confusion and mixed confusion. They often lack the ability to standout with their views in their team and can easily go with the flow of greater influence. The speaker should embrace their native communication style by speaking in environment that are more suitable, taking deep breaths before speaking and gain courage in times of conflict and confrontation by speaking with a more assertive speaker or using a communication channel that gives their message authority and clarity. Reflective decision-making scenarios are a great way to practice passive speaking. When reflecting, consider the comfort of your environment and the tone use to think out loud. Using these two techniques when speaking aloud will help the speaker relax and convey their message. 

 We speak Assertive

     “Assertive communication is often considered the gold standard in effective communication” (Mintz, 2023). A speaker that uses assertive communication style will be honest, brave and attractive. They speaking shows empathy, sympathy, circumstantial understanding and leadership. They will speak in tones appropriate for the situation and use channels that are beyond suitable to prevent confusion or conflicts. Confrontations, for the assertive speaker, are handle efficiently and professionally making these speakers the role model for all the other communication styles. I think handling non-programmed decisions and logic fallacy come natural to an assertive speaker with related experience and that the assertive communication style is used by most top managers. 

 We Speak It

 Well Communication style is more that vocabulary and volume. It requires strategic articulation, awareness of one’s tone and the ability to think about and like the audience. How should I state this message? What just happened recently and how are the people I am speaking feeling at this moment? Who will I be speaking to and where? Questions like these can provide guidance to choosing the perfect communication styles and communication channel. Make sure, as a speaker, you know how to speak it, and you speak it well.

Resources: Mintz,Kyla. (2023, November 15) Mastering the 5 Communication Styles for Effective Communication. Insights. Kumospace. Retrieved from https://www.kumospace.com