3 types of communication styles to consider for better work life balance
Being a working mom is a fulfilling and demanding role that requires a level of work life balance (on your terms) between professional commitments and family responsibilities. In this journey, effective communication becomes a crucial tool to ensure the best relationships with different individuals including your spouse, childcare providers, and colleagues.
I want to share 3 types of communication styles for you to pay attention to as your creating better work life balance for yourself. This can be the root cause to a lot of our stress without even realizing it.
So, understanding your communication style across assertiveness, directness, and cues (verbal and nonverbal) empowers you to navigate challenges more efficiently, ultimately contributing to a healthier work-life balance.
Assertiveness vs. Passivity: Finding Your Voice
Effective communication begins with self-awareness, particularly regarding your assertiveness levels. As a working mom, it’s important to express your needs, expectations, and concerns openly while respecting the perspectives of others. Striking the balance between assertiveness and passivity is essential for maintaining healthy relationships.
Assertive: Being assertive involves expressing your thoughts, feelings, and opinions with confidence and respect. It allows you to set boundaries, negotiate effectively, and ask for help when needed.
For example, clearly communicating your workload and limitations to your partner can prevent unnecessary conflicts and ensure a shared understanding of responsibilities. Maybe you’re in a season of life where you need a little more support in the home since work is a bit more hectic.
Passive: On the other hand, passive communication involves avoiding conflict, suppressing your needs, or yielding to others excessively. This can lead to feelings of resentment and imbalance. It’s important to recognize when passive communication patterns emerge and make a conscious effort to assert yourself when necessary.
Directness and Indirectness: Striking a Balance
Your communication style can also be categorized into directness and indirectness, each with its own implications for effective interaction.
Direct communication: Being direct means expressing your thoughts, ideas, and expectations explicitly. This style is particularly useful when conveying urgent matters, setting clear expectations, or providing constructive feedback. Direct communication helps to prevent misunderstandings and allows others to respond promptly. For instance, directly communicating deadlines or urgent tasks to your colleagues enables effective collaboration and avoids last-minute stress.
Non-direct communication: Non-direct communication relies on subtler cues and implies meaning with being super clear. This style is often characterized by using hints, body language, or nonverbal cues to convey messages. While non-direct communication can be effective in certain contexts, it may lead to misunderstandings or missed signals. Being aware of this style and recognizing when direct communication is necessary ensures clear and efficient exchanges, both personally and professionally.
Verbal and Nonverbal Cues: Conveying Messages Beyond Words
Lastly, communication extends beyond verbal expression and includes nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, and body language. Understanding the power of nonverbal communication allows you to connect with others on a deeper level and strengthen your relationships.
Verbal cues: Paying attention to verbal cues involves actively listening and responding appropriately to others. Taking the time to understand their perspective fosters empathy and collaboration. For instance, when discussing parenting challenges with your childcare provider, attentively listening to their insights can lead to a more effective and supportive child care situation.
Nonverbal Cues: Nonverbal cues are equally important in conveying emotions, attitudes, and intentions. A warm smile, a reassuring touch, or maintaining eye contact can significantly enhance the understanding and trust in your relationships. Being aware of your own nonverbal cues and interpreting those of others can help you build stronger connections and navigate sensitive conversations more effectively.
Check out these other blog posts:
- 5 important steps when addressing limiting beliefs
- 5 ways to be more self compassionate with yourself
- How to go from survival to living as a working mom
Impact on Better Work Life Balance:
Effective communication plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy work-life balance for working moms. By fostering open and honest communication channels, you can minimize misunderstandings, prevent conflicts, and create an environment where everyone’s needs are respected. This, in turn, reduces stress, promotes greater efficiency, and allows you to be present.
I’ve struggled with this before, and in those moments, I’ve had to stop and figure out what it was that I was desiring and how can I best convey that to others. I often induced so much unnecessary stress simply because the way I was communicating with others was ineffective and lead to arguments or disagreements.
Get ahead of it!
