Every human being has a unique communication style using which he/she communicates and interacts with other people. Whether it is in real life or online, the way a person interacts, communicates, and expresses himself tells so much about his communication style and personality.
Basically, there are four communication styles; Passive, Aggressive, Passive-Aggressive, and Assertive. Every person has one of these four communication styles and a communication style reflects so much about an individual’s personality.
Let’s have a look at the characteristics of each communication style and what each communication style tells about the people of that communication style.
1. Passive Communication
First, off the list, we have Passive Communication. People who are known to have a passive communication style or use passive communication while interacting with people are known to act indifferent. As the name suggests, passive communicators have a hard time expressing their feelings or needs & usually fail to do so, which gives others the chance to express themselves freely.
Usually, people mistake a passive communicator’s lack of outward communication for the feeling of pride and it often leads to misunderstanding, where the other person gets angry because of the way a passive communicator speaks. While you can’t have a full-fledged, full-of-expression conversation with a passive communicator, such communicators are usually the best option to speak to in case conflicts arise because such people will avoid being confronted or deferring to others.
Passive Communicators are not only poor with words but their body behavior is also poor. They are often afraid to make contact, their body posture is usually poor when talking to others and they have the inability to say no or reject someone. While a conversation with a passive communicator isn’t the most fruitful, such people are easy to get along with since they usually have the inability to say No and they follow others and the statement “go with the flow”.
2. Aggressive Communication
When you will see an aggressive communicator then you will recognize him/her instantly. You will hear it, you will see it, and even feel it when you encounter aggressive communication. Aggressive Communication style is easily recognized and aggressive communicators usually speak in a loud, demanding, low-pitched voice, maintain eye contact, and try to dominate/control others through their actions which involve blaming, critiquing, and attacking others.
Aggressive communicators are aggressive when they communicate with others and they do so as to assert their dominance over others and make them listen. They are known to issue orders and usually talk in an aggressive tone, which most people find rude and they fail to listen to others. However, one of the traits of aggressive communicators is that they are considered leaders and captains since they have the ability to assert dominance and lead their team.
3. Passive-Aggressive Communication
Passive-Aggressive Communicators, appear to be passive on the surface and they lack the ability to express themselves properly in front of others but within, they feel powerless and build up resentment which leads to them acting in a different way.
Most of the passive-aggressive communicators, instead of confronting any person about an issue, all they do is mutter to themselves and build up the anger and frustration within. They have difficulties acknowledging their anger and their body & facial expressions contradict and don’t correlate with how they feel. Even if there is a problem, they would rather deny it rather than confront it.
They are usually considered silent speakers. They usually communicate with someone through their body language and when they have an issue with someone then instead of trying to resolve that issue in person, they would give them silent treatment which includes spreading rumors behind someone’s back, backbiting, and sabotaging their efforts behind their backs. They appear to be cooperative but the inside anger and resentment leads to doing the complete opposite silently.
4. Assertive Communication
Assertive communicators are known to be the most effective communicators because the assertive communication style usually features an open style of communication. Assertive communicators are known to express their own needs, desires, and feelings but at the same time, they also consider the needs of others and work for the benefit of the parties involved.
Assertive communicators usually try to make a balanced situation where it is a win-win for both sides. One of the best things about assertive communicators is that they usually don’t blame others. They are also good listeners and they respect the opinions of others. Assertive Communicators are confident about their own beliefs and opinions but they don’t degrade or insult someone’s opinions, although they may strongly disagree but they don’t degrade or insult someone.
Another key trait is that they are problem-solving and compromising. As compared to aggressive communicators, who will try to do everything for their benefit, assertive communicators are known to compromise in difficult situations to help others.
