Emotive, Director, Reflective, and Supportive are 4 basic styles of communication that we have categorized people in today.  These styles are based on the personality and behavior of the individual being categorized by how much dominance and sociability the individual exhibits.  Out of the four basic communication styles there is one that is most like you and one that is least like you.  Discovering which communication style that is most like you can play a key role in your overall success factor in how you communicate with others effectively.

    The Emotive Style combines high sociability and high dominance.  These people are usually outspoken, enthusiastic, and stimulating.  They are extroverted, active, upbeat and enjoy being around people.  They typically use vigorous hand gestures.  The emotive person tends to like being on a first name basis with people.  They posses a natural persuasiveness and they express their point of view dramatically and forcefully.

    The Director Style combines high dominance and low sociability.  These people are frank, assertive, serious and usually express strong opinions.  They project an image of someone that wants to take control.  It is not easy for a director to be warm and caring or at least show it.  These people enjoy the formal approach in dealing with people.

    The Reflective style combines low dominance and low sociability.  These people are usually quiet, enjoy spending time alone, do not make decisions quickly, express opinions in a disciplined and deliberate manner, and do not seem to be in a hurry.  Emotional control is a common trait of this style.  They may seem preoccupied with other matters and as a result may seem difficult to get to know.  They stick to an agenda, review details and make decisions slowly.

    The Supportive Style combines low dominance and high sociability.  People who posses this style are usually cooperative, patient, and attentive.  They are usually reserved and avoid attention seeking behavior.   They are good listeners; they avoid the use of power and rely on friendly persuasion more than power when dealing with people.  They are warm in speech and when writing they like to touch the heart of people.  They make decisions in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.

    In essence there is really no right communication style; however, there may be a right type of communication style that will provide a better success factor for one job than another.  A person that exhibits director style communication will probably be better at being a drill sergeant than being a marriage counselor. 

These basic communication styles can be a good tool to use to figure out what type of personality your boss or co-workers have and in doing so you may find out what they expect from you as a person in behavior.  It may become a lot easier in the workplace if you tend to bend your personality or communication style towards that of your boss or co-workers.  Learning the four basic communication styles and making yourself self-aware about them may one day help you get out of a bad situation or help you avoid one altogether if you are able to realize the type of communication style that other people are using.  Adapting yourself to these situations can be difficult, but if you be yourself and you clash with someone else that is an important role model or figure in your life it could be disastrous if you can’t communicate with them on their level.  Let the four basic communication styles be your tool for success.