5 types of communication styles

Good communication is the foundation of healthy relationships in the workplace and also in your personal life. Communication tools like listening to another person, understanding their words, and offering a thoughtful response help establish rapport.

Yet even with effective communication tools, everyone uses different communication styles. Your upbringing, personality, culture, and other individual aspects influence how you communicate with others. 

When people with different styles and types of communication interact, there is an increased chance of miscommunication or misunderstandings. Since communication is a learned skill, however, there's always room for improvement.

To boost your communication skills, it may be helpful to first familiarize yourself with communication styles and learn the different types of communication. From there, you can focus on better conveying your ideas and being a more effective conversation partner to build stronger relationships. 

What are communication styles?

A communication style is how you interact with other people and express yourself using different forms of communication, including nonverbal and verbal communication. We all fall into one or more of the following four main communication styles:

• Aggressive communication style: Aggressive communicators tend to be confident in their opinions and may ignore others’ points of view. They might not listen well, could interrupt others during conversation, and are more likely to use confrontational language. 
• Passive communication style: Passive communicators rarely dominate conversations. They generally aren’t confrontational and may prefer written, visual, or nonverbal communication over verbal. They are also likely to be good listeners. It’s common for them to avoid expressing their opinions, needs, or feelings directly. They may often prioritize the needs of others over their own, leading to a tendency to not speak up to confront issues.
• Assertive communication style: Assertive communicators tend to communicate directly and clearly. If you have an assertive style, you’re probably willing to share your opinions, speak up for yourself, engage in negotiation, and advocate for both your and others’ rights. 
• Passive-aggressive communication style: Passive-aggressive communicators have a tendency to be uncomfortable saying what they mean. This style is a combination of passive and aggressive communication traits. Their verbal and nonverbal communication might not align, which can lead to miscommunications. Additionally, they may appear passive yet express anger indirectly. It can cause confusion and resentment. 

There can be any number of life experiences or situations that contribute to developing one type of communication over another. For example, just as cultural differences and personality traits influence communication styles, so might certain mental health conditions. A recent research article in Psychological Reports shows that women with social anxiety exhibit lower verbal aggressiveness, which is linked with them feeling as though they have less social support. For these women and others with social anxiety, their mental state can directly impact their communication style. 

5 types of communication 

There are five main types of communication styles. While you may naturally feel more comfortable using one over another, it’s useful to be proficient in more than one.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is using written or spoken words to convey a message. You communicate verbally when you speak out loud to another person, regardless of whether your conversation is face to face or not. You also use verbal communication when you write emails, text messages, letters, and other forms of written communication. Additionally, verbal communication includes paraverbal messages, which focus not on what we say but how we say it and can be conveyed through the following:

• Tone of voice
• Sentence structure
• Language complexity 
• Dialect, or the language you’re speaking in
• Pace of speech

People with assertive communication styles tend to have strong verbal communication skills. Aggressive communicators might also rely heavily on verbal communication, but their tone and word choice reflect the intensity of their communication style. 

Pro tip: If you’re striving to improve your verbal communication skills, try to pause before speaking. Instead of thinking about what to say while your conversation partner is speaking, devote your full attention to them. Once they’ve finished, think about how you wish to reply. Pausing in your interactions sets you up to give thoughtful responses and helps the other person feel heard. 

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is how you communicate without using words, and it includes the following:

• Posture
• Body language
• Eye contact
• Hand gestures
• Facial expressions

To be most effective, verbal and nonverbal communication need to match. For example, say a close friend seems distant, and you ask them if everything is OK. They reply that they are fine but avoid eye contact and turn away when answering. These nonverbal cues might indicate that they aren’t sharing the entire story. 

Pro tip: Nonverbal communication doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Focus on one area at a time as you work on improving it. For example, dedicate your efforts to boosting your eye contact first. Once you have a good handle on that, you can turn your attention to other types of body language. However, keep sociocultural norms and best practices in mind. Direct eye contact can mean respect in one cultural context, and it can mean disrespect in another. 

Written communication

Written communication occurs through professional emails, reports, social media posts, text messages, blog posts, and any other form of writing. Through written words, you aim to communicate an idea, concept, or feeling. When relying on written communication skills, it’s important to remember the following:

• Prioritize using an active writing voice. It’s best to write in the active voice as much as possible. While using the passive voice occasionally can be strategic, it can detract from your message if used too often. 
• Be clear and concise. Excessive wordiness can make a sentence difficult to understand. You risk confusing your readers or losing them entirely. Clear and concise sentences are more likely to convey your point successfully. 
• Watch for spelling and grammar mistakes. Good written communication means clean writing. Avoid letting small mistakes slip through the cracks. Once you’ve finished writing, take the time to carefully review your work. Use editing tools like grammar checkers and spell-check, read through your work aloud, or have someone you trust review your work if appropriate. 
• Consider your audience. Whether you’re writing an email, blog post, or text message, think about who you’re writing for. Readers’ context and interests determine how they interpret and understand your writing. 

A review published in Reading & Writing Quarterly shows that independent reading improves written communication. Simply enjoying books, magazines, online articles, and other long-form writing of your choice has a positive impact on your writing. 

Visual communication

Visual communication is expressing an idea or feeling through graphics and other visuals. Films, television, and image-driven social media platforms are all examples of places where visuals communicate a sentiment. In a professional setting, you might use visual communication to:

• Express statistics using a chart: When giving presentations, you can use a chart to display complex statistics and communicate their impact.
• Show growth or decline with a graph: Utilize graphs to visually convey growth or decline. 
• Highlight excitement around a company retreat: Using photos of coworkers enjoying company events or retreats can help promote future events by expressing excitement and anticipation. 

If you’re a visual learner, you might naturally be inclined to express ideas using graphics. When used alongside written or verbal communication, visuals can enhance key points and express emotions. 

Listening

Listening is an important part of communication, and learning to talk less and listen more can help encourage good conversations. It’s also key to practice active listening by maintaining eye contact and nodding to show the speaker they have your full attention. The seven core types of listening skills are:

• Informational listening: Listening to learn and retain information, facts, data, details, and stories. 

• Discriminative listening: Paying attention to tone of voice, verbal cues, and other changes in sound

• Biased listening: Also known as selective listening; listening only for what you want to hear

• Sympathetic listening: Focusing on the emotions conveyed through spoken words and nonverbal communication

• Comprehensive listening: Understanding the context or meaning of what someone is saying by focusing on the words and not on the person delivering them 

• Therapeutic or empathic listening: Listening to understand something from another person’s perspective

• Critical listening: Listening to comprehend and evaluate what is said so you can analyze complex information

By improving your listening skills, you increase effective communication in relationships. Paying close attention to verbal and nonverbal cues can reduce the risk of miscommunication and misunderstanding, which can positively impact your mental health. 

How to connect across different types of communication

Throughout the day, you interact with people who have different communication styles and types. To ensure good communication, both parties must find a middle ground to connect. Here are some effective strategies to improve your communication skills:

• Identify your communication style. By knowing your communication style, you can more easily recognize where you have strengths and weaknesses. When speaking with another, you can use this information to identify where to focus your efforts to ensure clear communication.
• Practice active listening. An experiment published in Psychological Reports demonstrated that even when people have different communication styles, active listening helps ensure both parties connect. The more actively you listen, the more likely you are to understand someone else.
• Focus on nonverbal communication. If you’re speaking, nonverbal cues can provide insight into the sentiment you’re trying to convey. As the listener, make eye contact, turn your body toward the other person, and nod to show you’re paying attention. 
• Maintain a growth mindset around communication. No matter your communication style, there is always room for growth. You can continually improve your written communication skills or learn to speak more clearly.
• Try to identify others’ communication styles. If you can, try to determine your speaking partner’s communication style. Doing so can be helpful when trying to find a middle ground for your respective communication types. 
• Be patient with misunderstandings or misconceptions. When people with different communication styles interact, there is potential for misconceptions. Be patient if this happens, and remember it’s OK to encounter occasional misunderstandings.

Understanding yourself better can help you create space for others to express themselves. Working to develop strong communication skills is an effective way to connect with people, no matter the context.

Additionally, improving communication in the workplace can help you on your career path. Part of having good leadership skills is understanding the importance of listening. Along with aspects like being willing to fail and fostering a culture of trust, active listening is a feature of transformational leadership, a leadership style that can boost morale and improve performance. A 2022 study by the University of Applied Science in Helsinki showed that communication style impacts transformational leadership, with more empathic communicators including team members in a way that encourages their commitment to the work.

Get to know the types of communication to build better relationships

Great communication skills are important for building solid relationships. Whether in your personal life or the workplace, it’s essential to communicate effectively. You may be able to improve some types of communication independently, yet it can still be helpful to seek the guidance of a professional communication coach.

The first step in improving your communication skills is understanding which communication types you naturally use in your relationships. From there, you can focus on learning new communication skills for more effective conversations. If you want to improve your communication, BetterUp Coaches are here to help.