(A reader recently commented that her written style and verbal style are often different. My reply … )
Lots of people feel that way and communicate accordingly. However, that doesn’t need to be the case in the contemporary and more casual business culture many of us work in. If you view workplace writing as ‘people talking to people on paper’, then you value and use a more conversational style.
Many business professionals diligently attempt to practice the ‘Golden Rule’ at work that we all learned as youngsters. A workplace communication version of that philosophy would be ‘Communicate with other people the way you want them to communicate with you.’ While a nice warm and fuzzy concept, a quick reality check indicates two serious flaws in the logic: the ‘Golden Rule’ assumes ‘everyone is the same and that ‘everyone is the same as you.’
Many business professionals diligently attempt to practice the ‘Golden Rule’ at work that we all learned as youngsters. A workplace communication version of that philosophy would be ’Communicate with other people the way you want them to communicate with you.’ While a nice warm and fuzzy concept, a quick reality check indicates two serious flaws in the logic: the ‘Golden Rule’ assumes everyone is the same and that everyone is the same as you.
‘People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better’, by Robert Bolton & Dorothy Grover Bolton, American Management Association, NY, 2009. An excellent discussion of four basic workplace communication styles – Driver, Expressive, Amiable and Analytical – their strengths, weaknesses and need for adaptation.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different communication styles, learn how to quickly identify the communication preferences of colleagues, bosses and customers, and how to adapt styles for maximum success when interacting in person or by phone.