Effective communication is key to building strong relationships with your team, clients, and partners. However, connecting with different people can sometimes be challenging. On February 28th, the Mentoring and Professional Development Committees of the WTS DC chapter hosted an interactive workshop with Shelley Row, founder and CEO of Blue Fjord Leaders and a top leadership speaker, to share her expertise on understanding personal communication styles and adapting behaviors for effective communication and trust-building. 

The two-hour interactive workshop included a pre-assessment in which each participant completed a communication DNA assessment to understand their primary communication style. Shelley explained that there are five different communication styles: Goal-Setting, Lifestyle, Information, Stability, and Adapter, and each has its own unique superpower. However, overusing these superpowers can create barriers to building connections.

Shelley used a framework that generalized different communication styles' characteristics and engaged participants in identifying the different communication styles in their network. Together, they explored adaptive behaviors to effectively communicate and build connections with different communication styles.

The workshop concluded with a discussion of practical tips on adaptive behaviors. Shelley shared that our brain will default to our preferred behavior even if it’s not the best choice. It takes self-awareness and energy to notice this tendency and self-correct. With practice, we can adapt for better understanding and connecting with people.