STYLES OF COMMUNICATION

STYLES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication styles can be classified into the following types:
(1) Aggressive
(2) Passive
(3) Assertive
In Aggressive style of communication, one always stands up for one’s rights. Sometimes doing so
may result in the violation of the other’s rights.
Such communicators give the impression of being superior in attitude, domineering and self-important.
They think their feelings are more important than that of the other person. They ignore or dismiss the
needs, wants and opinions, feelings or beliefs of others and express their own in an inappropriate
way. They may have a loud voice and articulate mostly in the second person. Their non-verbal cues
are narrow eyes, clenched fists, pointing fingers, rigid posture and hard stares. These types of
communicators often face disrespect from others. They are the worst victims of low-self esteem. As
a consequence, they easily incur other people’s wrath and in the worst case people avoid them out
of fear. They give an impression that they have something to contribute and others have little or
nothing to contribute. The aim of aggressive behaviour is to win at any cost.
The Passive style of communication allows the communicator to put others’ rights before his and thus reduce his own self-worth.

Passive communicators always consider themselves to be inferior to others. They negate their
personal feelings, rendering themselves unimportant. They fail to express their needs, wants, feelings,
opinions and beliefs and express them in an apologetic and self-effecting manner. They have an
overly soft voice with an apologetic demeanor. They create a negative impression on others by
their non-verbal signals. They shy away from maintaining eye contact with people. Their downcast
eyes, stooping posture and excessive nodding of the heads may indicate lack of drive and motivation.
They suffer from poor self-esteem and are heavily dependent on others for support and recognition.
They are easily victimized and exploited at the same time, as other people tend to disrespect them.
The aim of passive behavior is to avoid conflict and to please others.
The Assertive style of communication teaches one to stand up for one’s rights while having respect
for others rights.

Those communicating in assertive style give equal importance to both others’ as well as to their own
rights. They deal with people on equal terms. They exude confidence in whatever they do and
always own up responsibility for their actions. Assertive communicators stand firmly on their foot
and don’t buckle under pressure. Talking straight on the face, looking directly, always at ease with
oneself and others, relaxed and smooth body movements are some of the strong characteristics of
any assertive communicator. Assertive communicators always buzz with life and activity wherever
they go. These people are positive with a high self-esteem. As they give respect to all they also get
it back in abundance. The aim of assertive behavior is to satisfy the needs and wants of any two
parties in a given situation.

Among these three distinctive styles of communication, the Assertive style of communication is
the one to strive for. Depending on your personal circumstances, you can make use of the other
two styles as well. In a situation, where being passiveness may drive home an important point or
may resolve an issue it is better to act passive. Likewise, aggressiveness also helps sometimes in
turning a situation in your favor, especially when you know you are not getting anywhere in that
situation.