During our lectures recently we had David Norton, Founder of CommsQuest come to talk to us about our communication styles.
CommsQuest is an agency that aim to “share the best bits of comms, the fastest ways to make an impact and the tools and techniques they’ve developed”, and we got to put just one of these to the test!
Now, we’ve all done those quizzes before, whether for work or leisure, where we answer a set number of questions and the number/letter/shape that we come out with the most is ‘who we are’.
In this case, we were seeking to find out what type of communication styles we used, and the characteristic of these . There were 4 answers:
Triangle – Direct
Diamond – Spirited
Circle – Considerate
Square – Systematic
Before we started, we were asked what style do you think you are? (Go on on, try it!) I thought I was considerate.
Throughout the quiz there were questions like:
When I speak with a person, I…
- look down sometimes
- look directly at him or her the entire time
- look at him or her often
- tend to look around the room more than at the person
Which answer would you choose?
The questions range from the way you conduct you telephone calls, to the way you present or tell a story, to how you get what you want (and it was really interesting to analyse this aspect of myself!)
So, then came the answers…
Direct – 2
Spirited – 7
Considerate – 11
Systematic – 4
So, I was right! I am a considerate communicator, but I also have a strong tendency to be spirited.
I wish I could tell you all what the types mean – CommsQuest use this analysis as part of their consultancy packages, and we were very lucky to be able to take part – so, if you’re interested, I’d recommend getting in touch with the team!
What I will say is that the system is very accurate (one of the most truthful quizzes of this sort that I’ve ever taken!) In PR it can be difficult to evaluate your own communication style and alert yourself to your weaknesses – this is your job, to tell others how to effectively communicate and build their reputation, so you have to be good at it yourself!
Identifying your weaknesses is always hard, but this was a great way to celebrate the positive things about your communication style at the same time!
So, did the assessment do what it says on the tin? Did it…
“provide you with a new insight into your everyday communications with others…offer an accurate and reliable way to quickly identify your communication style…help you understand the various forms of communication, identify the communication styles of others and learn how to ‘flex’ your style to improve communication”
… Definitely!
Take a look here for loads more info, and an insight into what else CommsQuest can offer…
To Dye For 