Are you a powerful or mediocre communicator? Do you communicate in open or closed ways? Great leaders from all walks of life have “uncommon common sense.” Let’s find out if your personal leadership style is a “Talk to me because I will listen to you!” approach when seated around The Communicator Table at work or home:
1. Closed vs. open communication. Talk is all about the place I’m coming from vs. the place you’re coming from.
2. Blocked vs. flowing communication. Talk is all about who’s the most confident speaker vs. hitting the ball back-and-forth in a dialogue.
3. Stop vs. go communication. Talk is all about interrupting or speaking over the speaker vs. dishing out good questions.
4. One-way vs. two-way communication. Talk is all about “the right or my way” to go vs. “the positive and effective way” to produce results.
5. Foggy vs. clear communication. Talk is all about steering clear of being held responsible vs. steering towards being response-able and account-able.
6. Fast vs. slow communication. Talk is all about getting there faster than the jumpy hare vs. progressively moving towards your change destination like the Tortoise.
7. Ineffective vs. effective communication. Talk is all about not hurting others or turning anyone off or making them mad vs. feeling energized by a frank discussion.
8. Problems vs. solutions communication. Talk is all about telling you why what you want to try won’t work vs. measuring the results of small experiments for change.
9. Regressive vs. progressive communication. Talk is all about worshipping and maintaining the status quo vs. progressively making things better in little ways that net large dividends in the longer term.
10. Negative vs. positive communication. Talk is all about “It’s not my fault because you’re to blame for the problem!” vs. “Fix the problem not the person!” brainstorming sessions.
11. Pessimistic vs. optimistic communication. Talk is all about the water glass soon being empty vs. the glass can be full to overflowing when you wish it to be so.
12. Draining vs. energizing communication. Talk is all about the straw stuck in your skull draining vitalizing energy vs. you light up like fireworks on the 4th of July.
13. Me-centered vs. relationship-centered communication. Talk is all about how life isn’t a fair and square deal vs. following fair play relationship rules where everyone is made to feel important.
14. Attack mode vs. sympathizer communication. Talk is all about being aggressive to bully your way vs. feeling sympathetic to the problems we all encounter as human beings and worker bees.
15. Taking away vs. giving away communication. Talk is all about punishers and expectations of loss and mayhem vs. giving way so others can get their way.
16. “Talk is cheap” vs. “talk is priceless” communication. Talk is all about what’s supposed to happen vs. the results that have already been done.
17. Depressive vs. expressive communication. Talk is all about why anyone in his or her right mind constantly wears a frown vs. when life sucks just be glad you don’t.
Does your communication style cause more problems than it solves? Communication matters in business matters!
ABOUT KEYNOTE SPEAKER, CORPORATE TRAINER AND RELATIONSHIP EXPERT DENNIS E. O’GRADY, PSY.D.
Dr. Dennis O’Grady is a communications psychologist with over 30 years experience in the fields of psychotherapy, communication, relationship enhancement and organizational development. He has developed and researched a new communication system that will boost company profits and morale when employees check off the feedback box, “My manager does a better job at communicating.” Dr. O’Grady’s “effective leadership communication” system is featured in his third book “Talk to Me: Communication Moves To Get Along With Anyone” which is available at www.drogrady.com and at Amazon. Dennis is licensed to drive on the two-way communicator highway. Do you know who you’re talking to by type?