Have you ever had to deal with a Chatterbox? Someone who loves to talk, tell stories and uses many more words than necessary? They are lovely but if you are short on time, or impatient it can be tricky. Their catch cry is, “look at me, like me, appreciate me!”
Last time we spoke about Powerful Communicators, today we will talk about Playful communicators. The Playful communicator is one that is warm, fun and engaging. These guys are all about relationship and having fun. If you know someone with this style they can range from warm and friendly to zany and the life of the party.
What makes a Playful Communicator Difficult? It can be their zany, crazy, chaotic, fun loving energy that may drive some people mad.
This style does not care so much for organisation, rules, processes, work – it is simply not colourful or fun enough. As you can imagine, if you work with this style and don’t understand them, you could be having some frustrations. These guys are very good at motivating and energising people to do the work, not necessarily doing the work themselves. They can be easily distracted by something that is bright and shiny!
I am surrounded by the Playful style; I think it is because I am so driven and full of order and work that I need help to lighten up. My husband is Playful and he will often grab me when I am in the middle of working just to tell me a joke or get me to watch a silly cartoon. He brings so much laughter into my life. I do remember noticing initially that ‘I’ could see this interruption as inconvenient. Especially when I was in the middle of something I needed to finish or achieve. Then I realised that I was prioritising my work, my achievement over a beautiful connection with my husband, so I changed my focus. I saw him in all of his beautiful fun loving nature and I connected with him. Oh what a good decision!
When this style is understood they make such great friends and teammates, when misunderstood they can seem selfish and self-centred. Like all of the styles we need to understand the differences and work on how we can best unite to bring out the best in all of us. We all bring something special and unique to the work and home environment.
So if you are struggling for airtime with one of these communicators here are some tips;
To keep them on track you need to speak up and be firmer with your boundaries. You can say things like, “I’d love to hear this story but I need to be in a meeting now, so please tell me later”. Or by making it sound like a friendly and fun game, “give it to me in 5 words or less.” This is a great way if you know them really well.
The most important thing for these guys is to be noticed, to have a friendly response and for you to keep your tone warm and your face smiling. Don’t be mean or speak down to them, this will hurt their feelings and will not aid a better connection.
Do not keep avoiding the issue if one exists; that is not the answer. The first step may be to understand yourself a little more and to do that you can uncover your Communication strengths, style and struggles with our online course. It costs as much a takeaway pizza, so it is well worth it! You can find out more here.
Until next time, Care, Connect and be a Conscious Communicator.
Let’s change our world for the better one conversation at a time.