Advice for High Sensitive Scorers in the Communication Style Questionnaire

1. Try to recognise that not everyone has a natural interest in other people peoples’ feelings like you do.

2. Resist the temptation to avoid conflict, sometimes you’ll need to address it although doing this may well be against your natural inclinations.

3. Have the courage to say No to an inappropriate or unfair request of your time. People will respect you more for this and there’s less chance of you becoming a magnet for people who need to get things done. Watch our Saying No Series for more tips on this.

4. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you when you’re discussing a sensitive topic. Tell the person how you feel but be careful not to let emotions cloud your judgement.

5. Remind yourself that you don’t have to be everyone’s best friend. Telling people what you think or disagreeing with them doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to hurt their feelings. It may even mean you gain their respect if they see you as a person who has the confidence to say what you think.

6. Remember that not everyone feels comfortable talking about personal matters at work even though you might. So consider other peoples’ communication styles before you do this.

7. Remind yourself that standing up to Upfront people and putting your point of view across in a forthright way is unlikely to be seen by them as rude. If they communicate with you like that, there’s no reason why they should see that kind of communication style as rude themselves. It might feel rude to you being upfront with them but it’s unlikely to be received like that.