The 4 communication styles every manager should know

Knowing how to effectively communicate with your team is critical. Communication is a key component of everything we do at work. Getting our own work done, collaborating with team members, delegating work to teammates, and sharing progress reports all depend on effective communication. This is why it’s essential to understand why people communicate the way they do.

That’s where the four communication styles come in. The four communication styles categorize how people communicate. Discovering your communication style can help you understand how you differ from coworkers, allowing you to collaborate more effectively. 

The problem is, if you only focus on someone’s communication style, you run the risk of missing the big picture. Understanding what influenced someone’s communication style—instead of only focusing on the effect—can help you better support your team members and help them communicate more effectively.

What are communication styles? 

A communication style is the way people express themselves when they talk or interact with others. It includes both the words they use and the non-verbal cues—like body language, facial expressions, and eye contact—that show how they feel.

There are four main types of communication styles, which we explore in detail below. Each of these styles shows a different way of sharing ideas and handling conflict.

You can see these styles through in-person conversations, in writing, or online through social media. Understanding these different communication styles can help you improve your communication. It also helps you improve your relationships and have more effective communication with others.

Why are communication styles important?

In the workplace, ineffective communication can quickly become a roadblock, leading to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and even tension among team members. Each person on your team has their own way of expressing ideas, giving feedback, and processing information.

When you understand your team's different communication styles, you’re better equipped to bridge gaps between employees who think and communicate differently. For example, a functional communicator who prefers detailed, step-by-step instructions may find it frustrating to work with an intuitive communicator who focuses on the big picture.

Beyond improving team dynamics, knowing the types of communication styles can help you handle difficult conversations with more confidence. Whether you’re managing a conflict, providing feedback, or simply trying to improve morale, the right communication approach can make a significant difference.

Furthermore, being aware of styles such as passive communication and aggressive communication helps you spot potential collaboration issues before they escalate. In short, effective communication is key to creating a positive and productive work environment.

The 4 types of communication styles

Broadly speaking, there are four different communication styles. Here's how each is commonly defined, as well as how these different styles can appear at work.

1. Passive communication style

A passive communicator doesn’t speak up frequently. Instead, they are content to adapt and support the needs of others. Passive communicators usually aren’t confrontational, and they may even come off as submissive. Their nonverbal communication may include things like crossing their arms while avoiding eye contact.

2. Aggressive communication style

A person with this communication style is very confident in their point of view—to the point where they may not listen to their teammate’s opinions. They often interject their own ideas into a conversation and may sometimes use confrontational language like “you’re wrong” or “you don’t get it.” In the workplace, this aggressive behavior creates tension among team members. Non-verbal communication typically includes strong eye contact, signaling dominance.

3. Passive-aggressive communication style

A person with this communication style doesn’t feel comfortable saying what they mean. Their verbal and nonverbal communication may not match. For example, they may say they’re excited but display contradictory body language like a frown or slumped shoulders. In the workplace, this style can lead to miscommunications and unresolved tensions.

4. Assertive communication style. 

A person with this communication style stands up for themselves. They are the type of communicator who knows how to explain and advocate for what they want, others' rights, or their own well-being. Assertive communicators may use hand gestures while communicating nonverbally, and they likely have calm or joyful facial expressions while speaking. People often view this as the most effective communication style in the workplace.

What's the best communication style in the workplace?

There’s no one communication style that works for every situation. In the workplace, it’s helpful to adjust your personal style based on who you’re interacting with and the context. Certain people, such as analytical communicators, prefer clear and direct communication. Others value an empathetic approach that focuses on emotional intelligence.

That said, in the workplace, assertive communication style is often considered the most effective. It balances expressing your needs while respecting others. Assertive styles encourage open dialogue and collaboration without resorting to aggressive behavior or silent treatment.

Benefits of assertive communication

In a healthy work environment, assertive styles help people voice their needs, collaborate effectively, and feel confident in their roles.

Assertive communicators:

• Effectively express their feelings when communicating with others

• Prioritize collaboration and connection

• Ask for feedback in order to continuously improve

• Have straightforward and respectful conversations

• Advocate for what they need at work

Because of their ability to communicate effectively at work, assertive communicators usually benefit from:

• High self-esteem

• Good self-awareness

• Mutual respect at work

• Clear goals and expectations

• Improved communication skills

How to identify your communication style

To improve how you communicate at work, start by understanding your own communication style. How you give feedback, express yourself, and handle conflict shapes your interactions. So, how can you figure out your personal style?

• Do you avoid confrontation? If so, you might use a passive communication style.

• Are you direct but respectful of others' needs? This points to an assertive style, which is often the most effective.

• Do you get frustrated or talk over others? You could be using an aggressive communication style, which can hurt relationships by pushing your views at the expense of others.

• Do you use sarcasm or avoid issues? These are signs of a passive-aggressive communication style.

To better understand your style, try our communication style quiz below or ask for feedback from colleagues. Pay attention to your non-verbal cues like eye contact, facial expressions, and how you use personal space. These can reveal more about your communication habits.

Quiz: What is your communication style?

If you’re unsure about your communication style or want more insight into how you communicate at work, take this short communication style quiz. This quiz aims to identify your inclination towards passive, assertive, aggressive, or passive-aggressive communication styles.

1. How do you typically handle conflict at work?

• A) Avoid it at all costs (passive)

• B) Express my point of view, even if it means others feel uncomfortable (aggressive)

• C) Address it directly, but listen to others’ opinions (assertive)

• D) Make subtle remarks without confronting the issue head-on (passive-aggressive)

2. When giving feedback to a colleague, you usually:

• A) Hold back my thoughts to avoid confrontation (passive)

• B) Tell them exactly what I think without sugar-coating (aggressive)

• C) Provide constructive feedback while also acknowledging their efforts (assertive)

• D) Use sarcasm or humor to convey my feelings (passive-aggressive)

3. If a colleague disagrees with you in a meeting, your response is:

• A) Stay quiet and avoid voicing your opinion further (passive)

• B) Insist that you are right, regardless of their point (aggressive)

• C) Engage in a respectful discussion to understand their perspective (assertive)

• D) Agree in the meeting, but vent about it later to others (passive-aggressive)

4. When you’re in a group discussion, you tend to:

• A) Stay quiet and let others take the lead (passive)

• B) Dominate the conversation to make sure your ideas are heard (aggressive)

• C) Share your opinions confidently while also encouraging others to speak (assertive)

• D) Keep quiet, but use non-verbal cues like eye-rolling or sighing (passive-aggressive)

5. When someone makes a decision you don’t agree with, you:

• A) Accept it, even though you don’t like it (passive)

• B) Voice your disagreement strongly and try to change their mind (aggressive)

• C) Discuss your concerns, but respect the final decision (assertive)

• D) Go along with it, but later undermine the decision subtly (passive-aggressive)

Scoring the quiz:

• Mostly A’s: You lean towards a passive communication style. You tend to avoid conflict and prioritize others’ needs over your own. While this can make you easy to get along with, you may need to work on voicing your opinions more confidently.

• Mostly B’s: You lean towards an aggressive communication style. Although you're direct and forceful, others may interpret this as unwanted aggressive behavior. Finding a balance between asserting your needs and respecting others is key.

• Mostly C’s: You have an assertive communication style. You’re clear and confident without being disrespectful, which makes you an effective communicator.

• Mostly D’s: You tend toward a passive-aggressive communication style. You may struggle with directly addressing issues and instead express your feelings indirectly, which can create confusion in your interactions.

This communication style quiz helps you get a clearer picture of your personal style and identifies areas for growth. This is often the first step in improving your communication skills so that you can enjoy more meaningful, productive interactions in the workplace.

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Managing communication styles in the workplace

Every team is made up of people with different styles of communication, from personal communicators to those who focus on problem-solving. Here are a few tips on leveraging these differences to improve team collaboration.

1. Supporting passive communicators

Passive communicators may feel uncomfortable or socially anxious at work. For whatever reason, this person doesn’t feel able to express themselves confidently or bring their full selves to work. According to the Mayo Clinic, passive communicators may suffer from increased stress. Those that do are not alone—according to the Anatomy of Work Index, 42% of knowledge workers rated their stress levels as very high.

Tip: Share a communication plan

A communication plan is an outline of how and where your team is going to communicate about work. This could include which tools team members should use, when to use live vs. offline communication, and who is responsible for each of the team’s channels. This can help socially anxious or stressed team members by removing the guesswork from work communication. 

When sharing a communication plan, be sure to provide clear clarification:

• Which channel should be used when

• When team members should communicate synchronously (live) vs. asynchronously (in their own time)

• The frequency with which updates should be shared

• How team members can indicate when they’re offline or in focus mode

2. Collaborating with aggressive communicators

Aggressive communicators may feel unsupported at work. This can naturally cause a team member to react defensively, which can manifest as increased aggression. According to the Mayo Clinic, team members may use aggressive communication styles to get what they want, but it’s often at the expense of others. In doing so, they risk undermining team trust, miscommunications, and coming off as patronizing.

Tip: Clarify project roles and responsibilities

Your team member may appear aggressive because they believe it's the only way to get what they want. The best way to support them—while also guiding them towards a more effective communication style—is to clarify who is working on what and what each team member’s responsibilities are on any given project. 

To do so, consider creating RACI charts to clarify the various roles each project team member is playing. RACI is an acronym that stands for:

• Responsible: This person is directly in charge of the work. 

• Accountable: This person oversees the work. 

• Consulted: This individual or individuals approve the work prior to its completion

• Informed: Although these individuals are involved in the ongoing work, they don't require inclusion in any review loops 

A RACI chart can give your team member clear insight into who is directly responsible for the role, decision making, and giving feedback for your projects. The creation of a RACI chart benefits an aggressive communicator in two ways:

1. If they are part of the RACI chart, it outlines the boundaries of their role's responsibilities. 

2. If they aren’t included in the RACI chart, they understand that they aren’t a stakeholder in this work.

• Passive-aggressive communication style. A person with this communication style doesn’t feel comfortable saying what they mean. Their verbal and nonverbal communication may not match—for example, they may say they’re excited, but display contradictory body language like a frown or slumped shoulders. 

• Assertive communication style. A person with this communication style stands up for themselves. These communicators can explain and advocate for their goals. Assertive communicators may use hand gestures while communicating nonverbally, and they likely have calm or happy facial expressions while speaking.

3. Unblocking passive-aggressive communicators

Passive-aggressive communicators may feel like their opinions wouldn’t be accepted by the group. Often, they reverted to passive-aggressive communication because direct communication historically didn’t work for them. According to the Mayo Clinic, these types of people are uncomfortable being direct about their needs.

Tip: Make time for team building

Encouraging passive-aggressive communicators to come out of their shell starts at the team level. If you haven’t already, make sure your team members build interpersonal relationships and get to know one another outside of the project or task context. 

Consider scheduling recurring team building activities on a weekly or monthly basis. These can be enjoyable activities like trivia, or they can just be a time for your team to get together and chat. In addition to these dedicated meetings, make some time to get to know each other on a regular basis. At Asana, we use icebreakers at the beginning of most meetings to make sure we have a bit of levity and connection in every meeting.

Encourage team members to get to know each other individually, as well. When possible, encourage team members to schedule informal coffee chats or 1:1s with one another—we do them every other week at Asana—so they can form healthy relationships.

4. Unblocking assertive communicators

Assertive communicators are highly functional communicators. They share how they feel in a productive way. Because they are already effective communicators, your responsibility as a manager is to let go of some control, step back, and allow them to lead. Empowering assertive communicators will help them to feel even more confident in their voice, and might help them to step in leadership or high-impact roles.

Tip: Active listening

Assertive communicators don’t need as much support as other communication styles, but you can still help them express themselves even more clearly by using active listening. Active listening is a conscious and engaged way of listening, where your sole focus is to understand what the other person is saying. This involves reserving judgment, paraphrasing responses, and asking specific, open-ended questions that encourage conversation.

Identifying the underlying causes of communication styles

Simply identifying a team member’s communication style isn’t enough. Some communication styles create conflict in the workplace—for example, an aggressive communicator might make it challenging for other team members to express their opinion or use their style to their own advantage. But chances are, your team members want to be assertive communicators. Even on competitive teams like sales or law, assertive communication empowers team members to effectively express their ideas and collaborate with others.

 If a team member is outwardly displaying a negative or manipulative communication style, there is likely an underlying cause—like stress or turmoil at work. When you’re able to identify a team member’s outward communication style, you can then address what’s blocking them from communicating assertively. 

As their manager, you can address that. By digging deeper into each teammate’s communication style, you can begin to identify why they might be communicating in an aggressive, passive, or passive-aggressive way—and what you can do about it. You can implement processes and support systems to ensure team members feel comfortable being themselves at work. Unblocking potential barriers will empower people to communicate assertively and advocate for their own needs. 

Encourage team members to get to know each other individually, as well. When possible, encourage team members to schedule informal coffee chats or 1:1s with one another—we do them every other week at Asana—so they can bond.

Improve communication by creating a better environment for your team

You’ll notice your efforts are working when team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, disagreeing with one another, and asserting their needs. Once that happens, continue to invest in team building, coaching, and communication best practices to help your team maintain their confident, assertive communication style.

The Impact Playbook: Motivating employees in a fast-changing world

Boost motivation by helping your employees understand why their work matters. In this free ebook, learn how to create a shared sense of purpose on your team.

Get the insights

FAQ: Communication styles

1. What are the 7 types of communication? The 7 types of communication include verbal, non-verbal, written, visual, formal, informal, and listening. Each plays a role in how we express ideas and interpret messages in different settings, including in-person and through digital platforms.

2. What are the 4 communication styles? The four main communication styles are passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. Each reflects different ways people express themselves, handle conflict, and interact with others, especially in workplace settings.

3. What are the key differences between direct and indirect communication styles? Direct communication is straightforward, with a clear expression of thoughts and intentions. It often involves saying exactly what you mean. Indirect communication, on the other hand, relies more on context, subtlety, and non-verbal cues. The key difference is that direct communicators are explicit, while indirect communicators may imply their meaning without being overt.

4. How do cultural differences impact communication styles in a diverse workplace? Cultural differences can greatly influence communication styles. Some cultures value direct communication, while others prefer indirect communication to maintain harmony. In a diverse workplace, these cultural preferences can influence how team members collaborate, give feedback, and make decisions.

5. How can you effectively work with a passive-aggressive communicator? To work with a passive-aggressive communicator, it's important to address issues directly but tactfully. Encourage open dialogue, focus on problem-solving, and make sure that expectations are clear. Recognizing their behavior and fostering an environment of transparency can help to reduce misunderstandings and improve collaboration.