Can you describe your communication style?
What does it even mean to have a communication style? And what are the benefits of becoming aware of your communication style?
Source: https://blog.readytomanage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/communication-cartoon.jpg
These questions are important to consider in today’s world of work, and they are the focus of a research project now underway in the Corporate and Organizational Communication program at the College of Professional Studies.
New students in our master’s program learn about their communication style by completing an online communications assessment tool called icEdge. The icEdge survey assesses your communications style and provides a detailed report to promote self-awareness of your communication style preferences. The communication styles are categorized into four main buckets: Relational, Messaging, Time Management, and Sensory. The report offers insights into each communication style bucket, along with related characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors
The assessment highlights opportunities for growth based on different communications styles people have across a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. This discernment helps to increase awareness of how to connect effectively with people who have different communication styles. Additionally, the knowledge gained is useful not just on a personal level, but helps to strengthen interpersonal skills, influencing team-level communication. Moreover, these same principles can be applied within organizations to positively impact effective communication across broad and diverse audiences. The icEdge graphic below conveys research findings about the relationship of the four categories with both individual skills and organizational impact.
Starting Fall 2021, our program is participating with two other universities in an impact research study. We have requested student volunteers who recently started our program to complete pre/post surveys and reflection worksheets in addition to the icEdge assessment. Multiple hypotheses are being analyzed relating to diversity values, cultural intelligence, team learning, and performance. The data will be evaluated to explore student perceptions of how icEdge communication styles impact their interactions with others, along with recommendations of how this tool can be applied in a team setting. We’ll be sharing the results of the research study in a future post.
Posted by Patty Goodman, Faculty