Levels of communication

Have you ever spoken to someone and felt like you didn’t really connect and you were not sure why? If so, it’s likely that you were communicating at different levels. Not something we think about every day, but communication does have different tiers, a little bit like the layers of an onion. Take a look at the diagram below:

Many teams do not operate as effectively or efficiently as they might because their members only use a limited range of communication.  The different levels shown above involve a different degree of personal risk, starting with a very low risk at the bottom to the highest level of risk at the top. To “take a risk” and share more information usually requires the individual doing the sharing to feel comfortable that their views and feelings will be respected.

No one-size-fits-all, the art of good communication is being able to adapt and recognise which is most effective in any given situation. To help to recognise this, let’s look at these levels in more detail.  Simply click on the bullet at the side of the heading to reveal more information, starting from bottom “exchanging ritual”, to top “expressing feelings”.

Exchanging ritual

Probably the most used, often over-used style. This level involves a basic, polite exchange and very little information is given. This means that the conversation usually remains at a superficial level. You will no doubt recognise this in the workplace, or outside when someone says “hello, how are you?” and your response is “I’m fine thank you how are you?”, when the reality may be very different. Your response poses minimal risk.

Factual information

The second level is providing information, facts. This may be in the workplace when you are asked about activity levels or productivity rates or similar and you are able to provide a number, statistic or factual piece of information. There is no personal disclosure therefore it is relatively low risk.

Sharing ideas

Level 3 may involve talking through ideas with someone, e.g. “I’m thinking about doing this…” By sharing a little, there is some degree of risk through disclosure, however at this stage it may still be a little guarded. You could be canvassing for others’ opinions before being prepared to voice your own beliefs.

Making judgements

Making judgements and decisions involves offering your own opinion, so here we are seeing some commitment. This means this is a higher risk, as others may not necessarily agree with your judgements and opinions.

Disclosing values

Disclosing values involves sharing with others what you stand by, for example, “I don’t believe in taking time off sick” is a statement which you may believe demonstrates your work ethic. However, someone with a medical condition may see this very differently. Examples of sharing values can often be seen on social media and can be used both constructively and destructively, perhaps to spark debate around a particular topic.

Expressing feelings

Sharing feelings and emotions lets people know what is going on inside. Sometimes it may feel quite challenging to be open and honest. This level poses a very high degree of personal risk and often we may try and mask our own feelings perhaps deciding it is better to be dishonest than to “rock the boat”. Think about times you have seen this, both positive and negative. When someone is truly passionate about something, in a team, for example, it may manifest great team spirit and motivation.