Communication styles are defined by our tendency to communicate directly or indirectly.

 Every
person has a unique communication style, but there are four main communication styles you’re
likely to encounter in the workplace. When you can accurately identify each style, you’ll be
better equipped to work with any type of person you encounter.

In this article, we discuss four common workplace communication styles, how to identify them
and tips for interacting with colleagues who adopt these different styles.

Why are communication styles important?

When individuals exhibit different communication styles, it’s easy for conflict or
misunderstandings to occur. Understanding the characteristics and tendencies of different
communication styles can help us to effectively interact with someone who has a different style.

4 basic communication styles

Your communication style is the way you interact with others and it determines how you speak,
act and react in various situations. Here are the four primary communication styles:

1. Passive

Passive communicators are typically quiet and don’t seek attention. They may act indifferent
during debates and rarely take a strong stance or assert themselves. They don’t usually share
their needs or express their feelings, so it may be difficult to know when they are
uncomfortable or need help with an important project.

You can identify a passive communicator by these tendencies:

 Inability to say no
 Poor posture
 Easy-going attitude
 Lack of eye contact
 Soft voice
 Apologetic demeanor
 Fidgeting

If you’re dealing with a passive communicator, consider these methods to encourage a good
working relationship:

 Take a direct approach. Initiate one-on-one conversations, as private interactions are

often more comfortable for a passive communicator than group settings.
 Ask for their opinions. Allow plenty of time for them to think over their responses.
 Use broad language. Avoid asking “yes” or “no” questions that can be answered with
little elaboration. Stay patient with long silences, as passive individuals often take their
time thinking through a response.

If you’re a passive communicator, it’s important to work on your communication skills. Seek
out opportunities where you feel you can comfortably speak up. If you’re uncomfortable in
group settings, seek out personal meetings. If you prefer writing over talking, try
communicating via email instead of in person. Over time, you’ll see that openly sharing your
thoughts creates opportunities for positive interactions.

Related: Communication Skills: Definitions and Examples

2. Aggressive

Aggressive communicators frequently express their thoughts and feelings and tend to
dominate conversations, often at the expense of others. They may also react before thinking,
which can negatively affect relationships and decrease productivity in the workplace. While an
aggressive communication style might command respect in certain leadership situations, it’s
often intimidating to those who respond better to a calm approach.

These are a few signs of an aggressive communicator:

 Interrupting people while they’re speaking

 Invading personal spaces

 Presenting an overbearing posture
 Using aggressive gestures
 Maintaining intense eye contact

Consider these methods when working with an aggressive communicator:

 Be calm and assertive. Try not to let the nature of an aggressive communicator be

intimidating. Focus your conversation on an actionable approach to the issue.
 Keep conversations professional. Direct the conversation away from personal issues
or emotions.
 Know when to walk away. Walk away from the situation if the aggressive
communicator becomes too demanding or you’re no longer making positive progress.

If you have an aggressive communication style, you may struggle to form strong
relationships at work. Learning more positive communication techniques may help you
overcome some of your aggressive tendencies. Reducing stress in your life can help as well. You
can take a healthy approach to combat stressors by engaging in physical activity and practicing
mindfulness or meditation.

Related: Conflict Resolution Skills: Definitions and Examples

3. Passive-aggressive

Passive-aggressive communicators appear passive on the surface but often have more
aggressive motivations driving their actions. While their words might sound agreeable, their
actions don’t always align with what they say. They can quietly manipulate a situation into one
that benefits them. Some passive-aggressive communicators use this approach because they
feel powerless or manipulated, though that isn’t necessarily the case.

Passive-aggressive communicators may use the following approaches:

  Muttering
 Using sarcasm
 Exhibiting denial
 Presenting a happy face when they’re clearly upset
 Giving the silent treatment

If you’re dealing with a passive-aggressive communicator, you might find that they undermine
your efforts even after giving you verbal assurances.

Consider the following approaches when dealing with a passive-aggressive communicator:

 Make clear requests. Try not to leave room for misinterpretation or confusion.

 Confront negative behavior. Talk to them directly about their behavior. Consider
looping in a manager if your conversation doesn’t produce change.
 Ask for their feedback. Directly ask them for their feedback in one-on-one situations to
try to elicit honest communication.

If you have passive-aggressive tendencies, look for opportunities to communicate your

thoughts and needs openly. Find a way to pursue clear and honest lines of communication to
ensure you feel heard and are taking active steps to directly address a situation.

Read more: How To Handle Passive-Aggressive Behavior in the Workplace

4. Assertive

The assertive style is typically the most respectful and productive type of communication in the
workplace. Assertive communicators share their thoughts and ideas confidently, but they’re
always respectful and polite. They readily take on challenges but know how to say “no” when it’s
required. These individuals understand their own limits and protect their boundaries without
acting overly aggressive or defensive.

When you’re with an assertive communicator, you’ll notice their ability to make others feel
comfortable. They’re the ones that you seek out because you know they can easily facilitate a
productive discussion.

Assertive behavior exhibits itself through:

 Expansive gestures
 Collaborative and sharing tendencies
 Healthy expression of ideas and feelings
 Good posture
 A clear voice
 Friendly eye contact

What is Cross-Cultural Communication?

Cross-Cultural Communications deal with the exchange of information between people belonging to
different cultures. It is not necessary for the exchange of words to be successful or not. Even if both
the parties are trying to attempt the same, it will be considered as Cross-Cultural Communication.
Several negotiations take place across cultures using the actions and other sign languages due to the
absence of a common language. The exchange of knowledge is the priority rather than focusing on
other aspects.

Every typical person has a style of communication that signifies the culture he or she belongs to.
There is no doubt that we all come across a cross-culture situation where we need to establish a
meaningful conversation. Most people often find a need for communication across cultures during
their working hours.

It is commonly observed that the workplace usually consists of people having different cultures and
backgrounds. This significantly increases the need to prevent a predictable clash between their
thoughts and the way of approach.

Cross Culture Communication is expected to reduce these conflicts to promote harmony among the
employees. The main goal is to transfer the correct message, followed by an accurate response. Any
misleading situation should be prevented, and the communication level should be preferable by both
sender and receiver.

Let us now understand why communication across cultures is significant

What is the importance of Cross-Cultural Communication?

Now you must be wondering that why was there a need to introduce Cross-Cultural Communication at
the workplace.

Different cultural ways give people different ways of thinking, analyzing, hearing, accepting,
interpreting different things. – This means the same words or gestures in the United States will mean
different things to people associated with other cultures.

At the time of globalization, communication across cultures falls within the larger field of
communication studies around the world. From businesses to universities to schools, the application
of cross-cultural communication along with foreign language education is gaining prevalence amongst
people from different societal, cultural, or national setups.

In this section, we will throw some light upon different ways cross-cultural communication can let you
communicate effectively

1. Better Progress

Every industry is dependent on its employees for better progress and more profit-earning sources. It is
quite understood that Cross-Cultural Communication directly influences the relationship between the
managers and the employees.

Moreover, the employees are more comfortable while communicating with each other during the
project. Hence, a hike in the progress chart of business can be observed in a short while, as it lets
employees communicate effectively across cultures despite their cultural differences.

2. Cultural Influence

There is no doubt that cultures play a vital role in determining how we talk with one another. In case
there is an absence of harmony and a sense of equality due to cultural backgrounds, it can lead to a
chaotic situation.
The organization will not be able to manage all its employees under the same roof. Cross-Cultural
Communication solves this issue and enhances the productivity of the members.

3. Management

Cross-Cultural Communication can be quite beneficial in situations where the business is spread
across various parts of the globe. Surely, all the employees working there will belong to different
cultures and religions.

The company executives will develop some benchmarks for all of the team. Each member would have
to act the same and treat everyone with equality. Any discrimination based on culture should be
prohibited.

Factors affecting Cross-Cultural Communication

Different factors that might affect such a form of communication are-

1. Interpretation of Time

Different cultures for example Chain and Japan consider punctuality very important, and if someone is
not on time, they might find it annoying or humiliating, while on the other, in the cultures of the Middle
East and South America, time would not be of that much importance.

2. Interpretation of Space

The personal space of one culture might also differ drastically from another culture. Some of the
countries consider it respectful maintaining space while greeting or meeting, while some other
countries may not find it that crucial.

3. Non-verbal Communication
One culture might value content more than context and they are low-context cultures. In such a
culture, written words are valuable than oral words. On the other hand, nations or groups with high-
context cultures value context more than the written content. Such cultures pay more heed to the non-
verbal signs more than the language.

How to improve Cross-Cultural Communication?

There is no way to overcome the problem of communication in a company other than to improve
Cross-Cultural Communication. As mentioned earlier, it has significant importance in every sector with
a need for communication.

No matter whether you are a part of the market of the makers, you need an established
communication system. Many people are not sure about the ways to tackle this problem and end up
destroying their professional relation.

Thus, we bring you some of the finest methods that will help you to improve your overall Cross-
Cultural Communication skills.

1. Prefer Meaningful Conversation

It is a known fact that all the conversations made during office hours are quite important. The
company looks forward to promoting more meaningful conversations between the employees. The
same situation holds valid even during Cross-Cultural Communication.

People with different backgrounds are not comfortable enough to share a word between them. This is
not an ideal way to move further or even initiate a conversation. You have to talk to the employees
who belong to another culture and get to know them. Of course, this practice can’t be implemented
overnight and will take some time. But the result would be favorable for both the employees, as well
as for the business.

2. Avoid Signaling

This point might not be a big issue, but still, several people don’t like someone signaling them,
especially the ones from a different culture. The regular use of any non-verbal
communication channels can offend people.

Instead, open a direct communication account with them. For instance, people from America find it
normal to point at something for a reference or direction. At the same time, other countries like Japan
are not comfortable in making the same gesture. They find it to be disrespecting their culture and use
the hand instead of the finger.

3. Awareness

In case you are someone who has to deal with people under the Cross-Cultural Communication
system, it is better to know them first. There is nothing bad in asking about their culture rather than to
create trouble in the later stages.

You should have the basic knowledge about their background and have a personal overview of the
same. The organization should focus on these aspects and make arrangements for group discussion.
This will enhance the communication skills among the employees, and they will understand each
other’s sentiments.
Sources of Miscommunication

According to the communication theory across cultures given by LarayBarna, six sources might cause
miscommunication. Hence, for improved cross-cultural communication, they should be avoided. Let
us have a look upon those-

1. Assumption of similarities

This misconception lets one develop the understanding that how he or she behaves, thinks, or acts is
also accepted and perceived around the world in the same manner. This way of thinking impeds us to
understand other’s context and we may have negative views about those who differ from us.

2. Language Differences

Such misconceptions occur when people interacting with each other do not speak the same language.
Even in some of the cases, words being spoken in the same language have a different meaning in
another context that might cause differences in understanding.

3. Nonverbal Misinterpretation

This form of misconception arises when the meaning of nonverbal signals different in different
cultures. Body language, gestures, eye contact, postures, etc. play role in this context for instance
nodding the head is YES in some cultures while No in some other cultures.

4. Preconceptions and Stereotypes

Having some sorts of prejudices, xenophobic tendencies, or stereotypes about language, etc also
cause differences in understanding. Some preconceptions about a few nonverbal signals may also
cause issues. Assuming a fixed set of characteristics that you do not like from all members of a group
cause such misconceptions and differences.

5. Tendency to evaluate

Analyzing others’ tendencies, communication, verbal or nonverbal ways of speaking may also be one
of the key reasons behind misconceptions.

6. High anxiety

Accessing and using digital information has become part of our daily lives. Around 4 billion people
globally have Internet access and use it regularly. As a result, digital communication is incredibly
important. In this new article, we’ll answer to the question “what is digital communication” and we talk
about its main features.

What is digital communication?

Digital communication definition: This concept, also known as data communication or data
transmission, is the transfer of data or information using digital signals over a point-to-point (P2P)
channel. A P2P connection is a mode of communication between two communication endpoints.

Communicating digitally is a communication technique in which thoughts, data or information are

digitally encoded as discreet signals. These signals are electronically transferred to the recipients.

This means transferring data, either by digitised analogue signal or digital bitstream, over point-to-
point or point-to-multipoint communication channels. These channels can be made up of many types.
For example, there are storage channels, fibre optics, computer buses, wireless communication
channels, etc.

Information or data is represented as an electromagnetic signal, such as microwaves, electrical

voltage, infrared and airwaves.

Everyone, and all modern businesses, institutions and organisations depend on this system to
communicate between themselves. In this case, the source of information tends to come from a
computer keyboard or mobile device and flows or is transferred digitally.

Only one person is needed to operate this system. Therefore, this mode of communication reduces
manpower and is the cheapest way of communicating to date.

Features of digital communication

These are some of the freatures of digital communication:

 The main feature of digital communication is that you can choose when and with
whom you want to communicate, including someone who’s in another part of the
world. What’s more, wherever the other person is, the message is transmitted instantly.
This speed is good but can also be bad at the same time. Messages travel quickly, but
sometimes you write things that you later might regret.
 Another feature is that with digital communication, verbal communication takes
precedence over non-verbal. Likewise, contact is often brief, replacing the longer, more
meaningful contact that being face-to-face brings. Communication through a digital
device is often limited to a screen and a speakerphone. As a result, limited information
is transmitted, which can sometimes be misinterpreted. You often have to encode and
decode text, abbreviations and emojis.
 Only video chats and teleconferences allow gestures, body language and tone of voice
to be interpreted, as if they were face-to-face conversations. But there are still
limitations, as this is very far removed from real human contact.
More features of digital communication

 Digital data can be copied, modified or even reissued. Every message you write, every
friend you add, every comment or photo you share is encoded in digital data and stored
on the server of the service you use, such as Facebook or LINE. This is a big challenge
for everyone who communicates digitally.
 With digital communication, you can be in contact with people who have similar
interests, whom otherwise you would never get to know. It’s a way of socialising and
discovering new ideas at the same time. For example, you can join a social media
group where people share your passion and, by commenting on posts and photos, by
sending messages etc, you can get to know new people.
 Another feature of digital communication is that it doesn’t cost very much. Social
media and calling via the Internet are free. The fact that messages don’t need printing
on paper because they can be stored on an electronic device for a long time means
you can even save money. Books can also be electronically downloaded, so you don’t
need a printed copy. Consequently, on a global level this contributes to cutting down
fewer trees to make paper.
 The final feature is that most of your personal ID and information can be stored on
your own device. This has both positive and negative implications. You need to be
much more careful not to lose your mobile or have it stolen. But at the same time, it’s
very convenient. For example, you can pay for things with your mobile, and keep
passwords or access verification linked to the device, etc.

Examples of digital communication

These are some exambles of digital communocation:

 Email.
 Websites.
 Blogs.
 Social media.
 Live chat.
 Chatbots.
 Video chat.
 Web calling.