Communicate with Intention: How to Honor Different Communication Styles to Strengthen Influence and Impact

In today’s fast-moving workplace, communication isn’t just a leadership skill — it’s the foundation of trust, clarity, and performance. Yet despite all the tools, channels, and technology available to us, communication remains the number one challenge teams report across industries.

A recent McKinsey study found that employees spend nearly 30% of their workweek clarifying miscommunications. Gallup research shows that only 13% of employees strongly agree that their leadership communicates effectively. And according to Harvard Business Review, poor communication is one of the primary reasons teams underperform, disengage, or fail to execute.

In an environment where everything feels urgent, expectations shift quickly, and hybrid work reshapes how we collaborate, the leaders who excel are not the ones who speak the loudest — they’re the ones who communicate with intention, awareness, and the ability to meet others where they are.

These leaders understand that influence and impact come not from directing or informing, but from ensuring their message lands clearly across different personalities, paces, and communication needs.

Why Communication Breaks Down

Communication doesn’t break down because people lack ability or intention. It breaks down because we each bring our own experiences, preferences, and processing styles into every interaction. When these differences go unrecognized, even well-meaning conversations can miss the mark.

Miscommunication often happens when:

• We assume others interpret information the same way we do
• We communicate in moments of pressure instead of clarity
• We respond to tone rather than understanding intent
• We prioritize speed over shared understanding
• We forget that people receive, process, and internalize information differently

This last point is especially important.

Every person filters communication through a unique lens — how they take in information, how quickly they move, whether they prefer big-picture or details, and what they need to feel confident and aligned. These differences shape everything from how someone asks questions to how they respond under stress.

This is where frameworks like D.i.S.C. can be incredibly helpful.* Rather than boxing people into categories, tools like D.i.S.C. offer awareness lenses that help leaders understand the diverse ways people communicate and make decisions.

• Some individuals want the core point immediately; others need context
• Some move fast and decide quickly; others prefer to reflect before responding
• Some communicate with emotion and connection; others focus on logic and structure

When leaders assume their own style is the default, communication can become unintentional or one-directional.

When leaders understand their style and appreciate the varied communication needs of others, communication becomes connection — and connection is what strengthens trust, clarity, and impact.

The Shift: Communication as a Leadership Practice

Effective leadership communication isn’t about saying more — it’s about saying what matters in a way that reaches people with different thinking patterns, pacing, and needs. Intentional leaders understand that communication is a relational practice, not a one-size-fits-all message.

Every person processes information through a different internal rhythm:

• Some move quickly and want the point. Others need the “why” before they can hear the “what.”
  
• Some prefer structure and data. Others connect through stories, tone, and energy.
  
• Some think out loud. Others reflect quietly and respond with intention.

When leaders overlook these natural differences, communication becomes transactional.

When leaders honor them, communication becomes connection — and connection becomes influence.

Here are the core shifts intentional leaders make to communicate effectively across styles:

1. Clarity Over Complexity

People with different processing needs anchor to clarity differently.
For some, clarity comes from a concise headline.
For others, clarity comes from understanding the context before the direction.
Intentional leaders provide both — outcome and context — so every style can orient quickly.

2. Awareness Over Assumption

Your message doesn’t land the same way with everyone.
Some listeners hear tone first. Others hear structure. Others hear intent.
Intentional leaders pause to consider: What does this person need to feel grounded and informed?
It’s not about changing yourself — it’s about communicating in a way others can receive.

3. Emotional Regulation Over Reactivity

Different styles have different sensitivities to tone, speed, and intensity.
A fast-paced delivery may energize one person but overwhelm another.
A reflective pause may reassure one person but frustrate someone who thinks quickly.
Intentional leaders manage their energy so each person feels safe, not pressured.

4. Presence Over Performance

Presence is the bridge between different styles.
Your eye contact, pacing, posture, and tone create signals that different listeners rely on to understand you.
When you show up with presence, people of all styles feel more engaged, respected, and connected.

Practical Strategies to Strengthen Your Communication

These practices help intentional leaders communicate effectively across different processing speeds, levels of detail, emotional cues, and decision-making approaches.

1. Lead With the Outcome First — Then Support With What Each Style Needs

Share the goal to orient fast-paced thinkers.
Then add the context that reflective or detail-minded thinkers need to feel fully informed.
This balanced structure respects everyone’s starting point.

2. Match Pace Before You Guide — Because Different People Move at Different Speeds

Some people think and speak quickly — they want the headline first.
Others prefer a slower pace to absorb, reflect, and respond.
Meeting pace doesn’t mean changing your personality; it means creating psychological space for the other person’s way of processing.

3. Ask Clarifying Questions — Because Each Style Needs Something Different to Feel Clear

Instead of assuming what someone needs, ask questions that invite their style to surface:

• “Do you prefer the big picture or the details first?”
• “What would help you feel clear about this?”
• “What’s most important for you to understand before deciding?”

These questions honor differences in how people absorb and analyze information.

4. Check for Alignment — Because Understanding Sounds Different Across Styles

Some people will reflect their understanding back logically.
Others will share it relationally.
Others will summarize next steps.
Invite alignment in a way that feels collaborative:
“Let’s make sure we’re aligned — what feels helpful from this conversation?”
This helps every style articulate clarity in their own way.

5. Regulate Your Energy — Because Tone and Intensity Affect Styles Differently

High intensity can feel motivating to some and overwhelming to others.
Soft tone can feel comforting to some and unclear to others.
Intentional leaders center themselves so their energy is steady enough for all communication styles to feel grounded, respected, and engaged.

Bringing It All Together: Communicating Through Awareness and Connection

At its core, intentional communication is about recognizing that people experience conversations differently — and choosing to lead in a way that honors those differences. Tools like D.i.S.C. can help illuminate these natural preferences, but the real impact comes from how leaders use that awareness to create conversations where people feel understood, valued, and respected.

It’s the simple but powerful shift from “Here’s how I communicate” to “Here’s how we can understand each other.”

That shift transforms communication from routine exchanges into meaningful connection.

When leaders communicate through this lens of awareness and presence, clarity becomes easier, collaboration becomes smoother, and influence becomes more natural — not because the leader is changing who they are, but because they are meeting others where they are.

A Question For Every Intentional Leader

Where in your daily conversations — with your team, peers, clients, or even at home — could greater awareness of how others receive information create more clarity, connection, or momentum?

Your growth starts with noticing.

If you or your team are looking to strengthen communication, deepen trust, and elevate leadership presence, I’d be honored to support you.

When leaders communicate with intention — honoring how different people think, process, and engage — influence becomes easier and impact becomes inevitable.

Let’s explore how we can elevate the way your organization communicates and collaborates.

Learn more or connect with me here

Ilhiana Rojas is a Human Potential Expert, Executive & Leadership Coach, and founder of BeLIVE Coaching & Consulting.

A former Fortune 500 executive with more than 20 years of global leadership experience, she empowers professionals and teams to lead with intention, strengthen their presence, and unlock their full potential.  Through her signature frameworks, coaching programs, and workshops, Ilhiana helps leaders elevate communication, deepen trust, and navigate their careers with clarity and purpose.