Communicators: Who Do You Resemble?

Do you – or the communicators you know – resemble Larry King, Barney Fife, Dr. Phil, Winston Churchill or Julie from the “Love Boat”? As follow-up to his recent keynote at a Ragan conference, the hilarious and perceptive Steve Crescenzo has outlined five categories of communicators he has met over the years.

A quick overview of Crescenzo’s groupings:

• The “Julie from the Love Boat” communicators view everything from a social perspective and focus on publishing service anniversaries, bowling scores, new hires and related employee news.
• The “Larry King of the Suckups” communicators ask the easy questions, ignore the tough issues and present happy talk at all times to all employees.
• The “Barney Fife All Talk” communicators know the right way to approach a project or issue, but they ultimately cave to those around them.
• The “Dr. Phil Me Up With Bad Advice” communicators are more interested in helping employees solve life problems than challenges facing the organization.
• Finally, the “Winston Churchill Stand and Fight” communicators are strategizing, questioning and challenging. They aren’t afraid to defend and fight for what they believe.

The full post is definitely worth your time.