The Impact of the 4 different styles of communication on intercultural relations

Understanding and using the different styles, an essential skill for intercultural competence.

Communication is a vital skill in any professional or personal context. Whether you are a manager, a customer, a supplier, a partner, or a colleague, you need to be able to adapt your communication style to the person you are talking to.

However, communication is not only about the words you use, but also the culture you belong to. Every language carries a culture and the way we express ourselves is culturally conditioned.

E.T. Hall (1) was an American anthropologist and a pioneer of intercultural communication. He studied how people from different cultures communicate in various ways, such as through non-verbal cues, space and time. He also introduced the concept of high-context and low-context cultures, which describe how much information is implicit or explicit in communication.

“Intercultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process, in which people from different cultures create shared meanings.”
Myron W. Lustig and Jolene Koester

Different cultures have different ways of expressing and interpreting information in communication. (2)

In high-context cultures, such as Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries, communication relies heavily on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings. In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, such as interpersonal relationships, body language, gestures, tone of voice, and social norms. They tend to communicate in an indirect, implicit, and ambiguous way, and expect the listener to infer the meaning from the context.

In low-context cultures, such as North America and Western Europe, communication depends more on the explicit verbal message than on the context. Low-context communicators value clarity, directness, and logic in communication, and they use words to convey their meaning precisely and unambiguously. They tend to communicate in a linear, straightforward, and factual way, and expect the listener to understand the message as it is said.

“The German language, which is very descriptive and precise, reflects a mode of communication that corresponds to a low-context culture and is characterized by a clear, explicit and direct message.”
Edward T. Hall

Therefore, it is essential to know the basics of communication according to cultures and intercultural management when working within multicultural teams. Not to mention that this intercultural intelligence can be useful on a daily basis in the most trivial situations!

To identify the communication style of the people you interact with, you need to determine their main orientation, their preferred mode of functioning, especially in relation to others, often detectable through their personality traits and the words they use.

It is then possible to adjust your communication style to match theirs and create a rapport and understanding.

Four styles can be distinguished: People, Action, Ideas, Methods.

The “People” style

The “people” oriented communicators are: Understanding, Insightful, Sensitive, Emotional, Subjective.

They often talk about: People, needs, fulfillment, motivation, sensitivity, teamwork, awareness, communication, cooperation, beliefs, feelings, values, team spirit, aspirations, understanding, relationships…

To communicate well with them, you have to:

Take the time to build rapport and not jump straight into the subject at hand.
Highlight the links between the proposal and the people involved.
Show the results achieved by the subject in the past.
Emphasize the support that the subject received from respected people.
Communicate in writing with a friendly and personal style.

The “Action” style

The “action” oriented communicators are: Pragmatic, Decisive, Energetic, Perfectionist, Efficient.

They often talk about: Results, objectives, responsibility, yield, performance, experience, productivity, challenges, efficiency, achievements, progress, change, decisions…

To communicate well with them, you have to:

Focus on results and start each meeting with the statement of conclusions.
Get straight to the point and present the best option without mentioning all the possible options.
Keep it short, use visuals and emphasize the practicality of the ideas presented.

The “Ideas” style

The “ideas” oriented communicators are: Imaginative, Charismatic, Visionary, Egocentric, Creative, Full of ideas, Provocative.

They often talk about: Concepts, interdependence, innovations, creativity, new ways, opportunities, possibilities, new methods, big designs, big questions, problems, perspectives, alternatives, novelties…

To communicate well with them, you have to:

Devote a lot of time to discussion and not get impatient if the interlocutor develops his ideas a lot.
Conceptualize the subject and emphasize its uniqueness.
Focus on the impact on the future.
During the presentation of the proposals go from the general to the detail.

The “Methods” style

The “methods” oriented communicators are: Logical, Unemotional, Patient, Cautious, Cold.

They often talk about: Facts, testing, processes, planning, analysis, control, tests, proofs, details, precision…

To communicate well with them you have to:

Be precise in presenting facts. Organize your presentations in a logical and structured way. Provide evidence and data to support your arguments. Avoid emotional or subjective language.

Straightforward comparison with the DISC model

The 4 different styles of communication are based on the same DISC theory (3) as the disc colors model. The main difference is that the 4 different styles of communication use words instead of colors to label the behavioral styles. Here is how they correspond:

People = Earth Green
Action = Fiery Red
Ideas = Sunshine Yellow
Methods = Cool Blue

You can use either model to understand your own communication style and the style of others, and to adapt your communication accordingly. For example, if you are a Methods/Cool Blue communicator, you may prefer logical, precise, and factual communication, and you may need to be more expressive, flexible, and empathetic when communicating with Ideas/Sunshine Yellow communicators, who may prefer creative, enthusiastic, and optimistic communication.

Best tips to communicate effectively with different styles

Identify your own and others’ communication styles. This can help you recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each style, and how they interact with each other.
Adapt your communication to suit the style of the person you are talking to. This means adjusting your tone, language, pace, and format to match their expectations and needs. For example, if you are communicating with an assertive style, you should be direct, concise, and assertive. If you are communicating with a visual learner, you should use graphs, charts, and images to support your message.
Respect the differences in communication styles and avoid judging or criticizing them. Different communication styles are not better or worse than each other. They are simply different ways of processing and sharing information. Respecting differences means acknowledging and appreciating the value that each style brings to the table, and avoiding stereotypes or assumptions. It also means being open-minded and willing to learn from others.

In summary, The impact of styles of communication on intercultural relations

Communication is a vital skill that requires adapting to the person and the culture you are talking to. E.T. Hall introduced the concept of high-context and low-context cultures, which differ in how much information is implicit or explicit in communication.
High-context cultures rely on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings, and communicate in an indirect, implicit, and ambiguous way.
Low-context cultures depend on the explicit verbal message, and communicate in a clear, direct, and logical way.
It is essential to know the basics of communication according to cultures and intercultural management when working in multicultural teams. To identify the communication style of the people you interact with, you need to determine their main orientation, their preferred mode of functioning, and their personality traits.
Four styles can be distinguished: People, Action, Ideas, Methods :
- The “People” style is understanding, sensitive, emotional, subjective, and focused on people, needs, feelings, values, relationships
- The “Action” style is pragmatic, decisive, energetic, perfectionist, efficient, and focused on results, objectives, performance, challenges, decisions
- The “Ideas” style is imaginative, charismatic, visionary, egocentric, creative, full of ideas, provocative, and focused on concepts, innovations, opportunities, possibilities, perspectives
- The “Methods” style is logical, unemotional, patient, cautious, cold, and focused on facts, testing, processes, planning, analysis

Identify your own and others’ communication styles and cultural contexts. You can use models such as DISC to help you do that.
Adapt your communication to suit the style and context of the person you are talking to. This means adjusting your tone, language, pace, and format to match their expectations and needs.
Respect the differences in communication styles and cultural contexts and avoid judging or criticizing them. This means acknowledging and appreciating the value that each style and context brings to the table, and avoiding stereotypes or assumptions. It also means being open-minded and willing to learn from others.

By applying these tips, you can communicate better with different styles and cultures in any professional or personal situation.

“Communication across cultural boundaries is complex, situational, and dynamic; it involves much more than learning a set of rules or facts about another culture.”
Stella Ting-Toomey

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