What's the best way to understand how your team members communicate?

1 Identify your communication style

The first step to understanding how your team members communicate is to identify your own communication style. There are many models and frameworks that can help you assess your communication preferences, such as the DISC, Myers-Briggs, or Social Styles. These models can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses as a communicator, as well as how you tend to behave in different situations. For example, you might be more assertive, analytical, expressive, or amiable. Knowing your communication style can help you recognize how you might come across to others and how you can adjust your approach to suit different contexts and audiences.

2 Observe your team members' communication styles

The next step is to observe how your team members communicate and what their communication styles are. You can do this by paying attention to their verbal and non-verbal cues, such as their tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, and word choice. You can also ask them for feedback on how they like to communicate and what they expect from you as a supervisor. For example, some team members might prefer direct and concise communication, while others might value more detail and empathy. Some team members might like to communicate frequently and openly, while others might need more privacy and autonomy. By observing and asking, you can learn more about your team members' communication styles and preferences.

3 Adapt your communication style to your team members

The final step is to adapt your communication style to your team members' communication styles. This does not mean that you have to change your personality or compromise your authenticity, but rather that you have to be flexible and respectful of how others communicate. For example, if you are more assertive and direct, you might need to tone down your intensity and use more positive language when communicating with someone who is more amiable and sensitive. If you are more analytical and detail-oriented, you might need to summarize your main points and use more visuals when communicating with someone who is more expressive and big-picture. By adapting your communication style to your team members, you can improve your rapport, trust, and collaboration with them.

Understanding how your team members communicate is a key skill for any supervisor. It can help you avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and frustrations, and enhance your team's performance, morale, and satisfaction. By identifying your own communication style, observing your team members' communication styles, and adapting your communication style to your team members, you can become a more effective and empathetic supervisor.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?