Communicating Styles and Conflict

Knowing your communication style and having a mix of styles on your team can provide a positive
force for resolving conflict.
A As far back as Hippocrates’ time (460-370B.C.), people have tried to understand other
people by characterizing them according to personality type or temperament.Hippocrates believed
there were four different body fluids that influenced four basic types of temperament. His work was
further developed 500 years later by Galen. These days there are any number of self-assessment
tools that relate to the basic descriptions developed by Galen, although we no longer believe the
source to be the types of body fluid that dominate our systems.
B The values in self-assessments that help determine personality style. Learning styles,
communication styles, conflict-handling styles, or other aspects of individuals is that they help
depersonalize conflict in interpersonal relationships. The depersonalization occurs when you realize
that others aren’t trying to be difficult, but they need different or more information than you do.
They’re not intending to be rude: they are so focused on the task they forget about greeting people.
They would like to work faster but not at the risk of damaging the relationships needed to get the job
done. They understand there is a job to do. But it can only be done right with the appropriate
information, which takes time to collect. When used appropriately, understanding
communication styles can help resolve conflict on teams. Very rarely are conflicts true personality
issues. Usually they are issues of style, information needs, or focus.
C Hippocrates and later Galen determined there were four basic temperaments: sanguine,
phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric. These descriptions were developed centuries ago and are still
somewhat apt, although you could update the wording. In today’s world, they translate into the four
fairly common communication styles described below:
D The sanguine person would be the expressive or spirited style of communication. These people
speak in pictures. They invest a lot of emotion and energy in their communication and often speak
quickly. Putting their whole body into it. They are easily sidetracked onto a story that may or may not
illustrate the point they are trying to make. Because of their enthusiasm, they are great team
motivators. They are concerned about people and relationships. Their high levels of energy can
come on strong at times and their focus is usually on the bigger picture, which means they
sometimes miss the details or the proper order of things. These people find conflict or differences of
opinion invigorating and love to engage in a spirited discussion. They love change and are
constantly looking for new and exciting adventures.
E Tile phlegmatic person - cool and persevering - translates into the technical or systematic
communication style. This style of communication is focused on facts and technical details.
Phlegmatic people have an orderly methodical way of approaching tasks, and their focus is very
much on the task, not on the people, emotions, or concerns that the task may evoke. The focus is
also more on the details necessary to accomplish a task. Sometimes the details overwhelm the big
picture and focus needs to be brought back to the context of the task. People with this style think the
facts should speak for themselves, and they are not as comfortable with conflict. They need time to
adapt to change and need to understand both the logic of it and the steps involved.
F Tile melancholic person who is soft hearted and oriented toward doing things for others translates
into the considerate or sympathetic communication style. A person with this communication style is
focused on people and relationships. They are good listeners and do things for other people-
sometimes to the detriment of getting things done for themselves. They want to solicit everyone’s
opinion and make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever is required to get the job done. At
times this focus on others can distract from the task at hand. Because they are so concerned with
the needs of others and smoothing over issues, they do not like conflict. They believe that change
threatens the status quo and tends to make people feel uneasy, so people with this communication
style, like phlegmatic people need time to consider the changes in order to adapt to them.
G The choleric temperament translates into the bold or direct style of communication. People with
this style are brief in their communication - the fewer words the better. They are big picture thinkers
and love to be involved in many things at once. They are focused on tasks and outcomes and often
forget that the people involved in carrying out the tasks have needs. They don’t do detail work easily
and as a result can often underestimate how much time it takes to achieve the task. Because they
are so direct, they often seem forceful and can be very intimidating to others. They usually would
welcome someone challenging them. But most other styles are afraid to do so. They also thrive on
change, the more the better.
H A well-functioning team should have all of these communication styles for true effectiveness. All
teams need to focus on the task, and they need to take care of relationships in order to achieve
those tasks. They need the big picture perspective or the context of their work, and they need the
details to be identified and taken care of for success. We all have aspects of each style within us.
Some of us can easily move from one style to another and adapt our style to the needs of the
situation at hand-whether the focus is on tasks or relationships. For others, a dominant style is very
evident, and it is more challenging to see the situation from the perspective of another style. The
work environment can influence communication styles either by the type of work that is required or
by the predominance of one style reflected in that environment. Some people use one style at work
and another at home.
The good news about communication styles is that we have the ability to develop flexibility in our
styles. The greater the flexibility we have, the more skilled we usually are at handling possible and
actual conflicts. Usually it has to be relevant to us to do so, either because we think it is important or
because there are incentives in our environment to encourage it. The key is that we have to want to
become flexible with our communication style. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or
you can’t, you’re right!”
Questions 1-8
Reading Passage has eight sections A-H.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i Summarising personality types
ii Combined styles for workplace
iii Physical explanation
iv A lively person who encourages
v Demanding and unsympathetic personality
vi Lazy and careless personality
vii The benefits of understanding communication styles
viii Cautious and caring
ix Factual and analytical personality
x Self-assessment determines one’s temperament

1 Section A
2 Section B
3 Section C
4 Section D
5 Section E
6 Section F
7 Section G
8 Section H
Questions 9-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

9 It is believed that sanguine people dislike variety.

Question 14
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in box 14 on your answer sheet.

14. The writer believes using self-assessment tools can

A help to develop one’s personality.

B help to understand colleagues’ behaviour.

C improve one’s relationship with the employer.

D directly resolve conflicts.

Answer Table
1. iii 8. ii

2. vii 9. FALSE

3. i 10. TRUE

4. iv 11. NOT GIVEN

5. ix 12. TRUE

6. viii 13. TRUE

7. v 14. B