It's OK to Be a Chameleon!

Effective communication is a critical skill for leaders.

As of this writing, I am working on my Toastmasters Dynamic Leadership pathway level two. My current assignment is "Understanding Your Communication Style," which is the theme of this article. I want to double it as my script for the upcoming speech at a local Toastmasters club (State College, Pennsylvania). I want to hear your opinions and hope to improve my talk by incorporating them.

As part of completing my project, I had to take a simple test to better understand my communication style. It turns out that my dominant style of communication is supportive. According to Toastmasters International, the characteristics of a supportive communicator are:

• Calm,
• Sincere,
• Steady,
• Gentle, and
• Approachable. 

For those of you who know me, do you think these adjectives fit my style? Please feel free to leave your comments.

I received equal scores for other styles, which include:

• Direct,
• Initiating, and
• Analytical. 

I am pretty happy with this result because being a supportive communicator is what I aspire to be.

I feel that this style lays a foundation for any effective communication, and other communication styles can build on it. For example, you want to be approachable regardless of your preference in a particular communication style.

When a situation calls for it, it’s also OK to pick and choose the most appropriate communication style: hence the title of this article. 

Let’s say that you are in a business meeting. In this setting, you don’t want to beat around the bush too much.

If necessary, I am fully capable of being a direct communicator who is:

• Competitive,
• Results-oriented, and
• Focused.

Mixing supportive and direct is challenging, and my colleagues sometimes tell me that I am not assertive enough, but I think it can still be done. What do you think? 

Initiating communicators are “sociable, enthusiastic, and persuasive.” I use this style when I moderate a meeting. It’s hard to engage participants if you are not initiating, especially at the beginning of meetings. To help with this communication style, I usually prepare an agenda well before a meeting and develop talking points.

The analytical style is “cautious, precise, and disciplined.” I use this style when I give lectures or presentations. Being analytical starts with developing a clear set of goals and keeping your audience in mind while designing your content. People will quickly lose interest if you are not to the point and coherent when delivering the content you initially promised.

I know that being a chameleon in colloquial English can carry a negative connotation, but I am using this expression in a positive sense to say that you should be agile and flexible when it comes to using these different communication styles.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Are you ready to be a communication style chameleon?

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I am striving to be everyday.