Style Mismatch in Communication? Does It Really Exist?

 

If you have been in the work environment long enough, you will probably take one type of personality test or another. There is the Myers-Briggs, the DiSC, and many others. At the end of the test you end up with a letter code, color code, or some type of neatly-defined category. The idea is that if you understand your co-workers' types, then you can communicate better.

In a recent Forbes article, we have another set of types that explains why you and your boss don't communicate well. He or she might be analytical while you are personal . The key is to speak analytically to your boss while your boss learns to speak personally to you.

These types may have some explanatory power but, is this the whole story behind miscommunication? We all know that people communicate differently given the context of a situation. For example, I speak differently to my friends when I am relaxing at a restaurant then when I am in a business meeting with colleagues. Also, most of us are easily adept at adjusting our communication styles to speak to different people.

It is my contention that communication styles play only a small part in miscommunication. The reason that miscommunication occurs is not a fundamential communication style mismatch; it is the inability to communicate effectively so as to engage the listener's attention. This may be because speaker didn't form a good message and/or the listener may be distracted by external factors.

Thus, I believe miscommunication is a matter of engagement and not a matter of style.

What do you think? Is there a valid personality test that explains miscommunication?