What kind of communicator are you?
Everyone has a different style of writing. Everyone has their different strengths and weaknesses as communicators. The good part is, when we know what those are, we can keep doing the good stuff, and work on improving the poor stuff.
If you’ve already taken the quiz, keep scrolling to learn more about the four communication archetypes.
Jargon Jack
As the name suggests, Jacks love a big word or two!
They are very skilled in the art of vocabulary, probably love reading, and are likely experts in a particular field. While they do love a fancy word, they also tend to keep their communication short. They’ll make sure a meeting finishes on time, and their emails are no longer than a couple of paragraphs.
Keep doing
Keep the communication short - people are time-poor and their attention is being pulled in multiple directions.
Stop doing
Jacks tend to be victims of the Curse of Knowledge. If this is you, stop using jargon, complex language, and unfamiliar words. Instead, make it simple - people don’t know what you know, if they can’t understand you
Waffling Wendy
Our Waffling Wendys love a good chat!
They often write as though they’re in a conversation too, with a ‘stream of consciousness’ filling the screen. You’ll find her emails take a while to get to the point, as do her chats. Meetings often run over time, and if she’s going to give a five-minute presentation, then allow for 15 minutes! ‘TL;DR’ (too long, didn’t read) was invented for the Wendys of this world.
Keep doing
Communicating! Wendys are usually great at making sure people are given the information they need, when they need it.
Stop doing
Like our Jacks, Wendys need to keep it simple. Their use of jargon and complex language baffles people. They also need to focus on cutting out the fluff and getting to the point, quickly.
Short ‘n’ Sharp Sharon
Our Short ‘n’ Sharp Sharons have no time to waste on niceties!
They get to the point, quickly and clearly, whether it's in a conversation, text message, or emails. Sharons tend to use simple, clear language, and their emails are just a few lines. In a meeting, a Sharon will get straight to the point, and wrap things up as quickly as possible, even if it means skipping over some of the details.
Keep doing
Keeping it short and clear. People don’t have time to wade through mountains of text to get to the point, so they appreciate your directness.
Stop doing
Be careful about your tone. Sometimes, being short and concise can come across as blunt and rude. Remember the people on the other end of your communication do appreciate brevity, but they also have feelings.
Also, when you’re being short and concise, make sure you’re not omitting any key facts or context that would help your audience understand the ‘why’ behind your request.
Really Redundant Rodney
Really Redundant Rodney keeps it simple, but definitely not short!
He’ll probably tell you the same thing in five different ways, or will give you a lot of detail you didn’t ask for. But, his use of clear language means you’ll understand what he’s saying, if you don’t tune out first! Rodney’s emails tend to be on the long side, as do his presentations and meetings. He loves a chat, but also loves to fill a sentence with as many adjectives and superlatives as possible, just to make a point!
Keep doing
Keeping it clear and using simple language. People really appreciate this, because it makes it easy and quick to understand your message.
Stop doing
Make it shorter! Your audience is time-poor, and they work in an ‘attention economy’ where everyone is striving to get a piece of their time and energy. If you want your wonderfully clear message to cut through, then you need to cut out all the redundant and irrelevant information, and get to the point.
Learn more!
These archetypes are an excerpt from my new book, Less Chatter, More Matter: The SKILLS to get anyone to read anything.
It’s combining best-practice communication skills with the power of behavioural science to help take your communication to the next level.