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Communication Clips
In this season of life, I think I’m beginning to get the importance of understanding personality traits. We all communicate in the style unique to our personal bent; which also affects what we perceive others to be saying to us. Many times, a conflict occurs more because of miscommunication than a difference of opinion! What difference does this make to a speaker or writer? It can make or break a deal. It can engage or lose your audience. It can…you get the picture! We use words as tools. When our tools get rusty, then it’s time to reexamine their use.
Cues, Clues and Miscues
Cues
What hints do you receive that you are connecting with your audience? A melancholy would be furiously taking down notes, but a phlegmatic may look lost in space. Is the phlegmatic disinterested? No, but you may think so! A sanguine might be making wise cracks, but will still be with you. The choleric doesn’t want all the gory details…”just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.”
A good communicator learns to speak all four languages by adding in elements that will enlist each personality. So give the melancholy some deep thoughts to come back to later. Give the phlegmatic lots of visuals in order to keep their attention. Let the sanguine shine with a special job up front and some recognition. And feed lots of facts to the choleric.
Clues
Webster defines a clue as “something that guides through an intricate procedure or maze of difficulties.”
Maybe your topic is long-winded by necessity. Use outlines made out of acronyms, acrostics, alliterations and all kinds of other anomalies to keep your audience with you. Let the outline be your guide in providing reliable information to your audience.
Miscues
What happens when something is miscommunicated? People can become angry, hurt or disengaged. At that point it is better to back-track and clarify your position. If you are communicating through emails, keep a paper trail to refer back to. When speaking, you may notice facial expressions or body language changing. When writing, trust someone to edit your work and sniff out potential hazards.
Miscommunication happens to all of us, but, with the proper tools, we can learn to spot a problem early and avoid a head-on collision!
For Further Study
Check out Talking So People Will Listen by Florence and Marita Littauer. They write from years of study into the complexities of personalities and dig deeper into the effect of communicating to them.
[ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830735038/wwwsallyfergu-20 ]
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Proverbs 25:11
A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold
in settings of silver.
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Sally Ferguson
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