Engaging with Different Personalities

by Athirah Sofea

Some people tend to be quieter and refrain from speaking often, while some are a bit louder and enjoy interacting with others. There is no right or wrong way as everyone processes and conveys information differently but we can try to understand the differences to cultivate a healthy atmosphere. A clash of communication styles does not only affect productivity, it causes frustrations and conflict and most importantly, it results in us failing to really listen.

Understanding that everyone is different is fundamental to a cohesive workforce. The more we understand those around us, the better we are at connecting with them. We will be able to communicate more effectively, develop better connections and create a more united environment.

Doing personality assessment is a great opportunity to understand your teammates better. There are several assessments available to evaluate the various personality types and one of the more popular tests is the Myers-Briggs. The assessments are done so that we can respect and acknowledge the differences and find the best way to give feedback to one another.

The table below shows the preferred communication style for each of the Myers-Briggs personality types.

Source: HRPersonality

Personality impacts how we communicate with people and how we respond to information. When we see someone has a different way of communicating, clarify why a person is different. The more we understand our own communication styles and those around us, the more effective we can be at work and generally be better communicators.

Source:

HRPersonality

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