Communication Style

Direct, Diplomatic, Analytical, Expressive

What is Communication Style?

Communication Style measures how someone tends to deliver information and respond to it — whether they lead with facts, feelings, data, or stories. It is the single most actionable framework for reducing day-to-day friction.

Key Dimensions

Direct

Brief, bottom-line, action-oriented

Diplomatic

Warm, relational, careful with feelings

Analytical

Data-first, structured, evidence-led

Expressive

Story-driven, vivid, emotionally engaging

Inside EQIQs

How We Use Comm Style in Compatibility Scoring

EQIQs surfaces style differences in every compatibility report and generates concrete scripts: how to give feedback, how to ask for what you need, and which channel works best.

Why Comm Style Matters

Most 'personality clashes' are actually communication-style clashes — and those are fixable in a single conversation.

Who Uses Comm Style?

Crucial Conversations (VitalSmarts)

Built a $100M+ training business on style-aware dialogue

Radical Candor (Kim Scott)

Direct vs. diplomatic is the central axis of the framework

💡 Did you know?

Research by Gottman shows that how a couple starts a hard conversation predicts the outcome 96% of the time — style matters more than topic.

Research & Further Reading