What are your communication preferences?

How do you use

your preferences for different situations?
Jennifer Rosen: Dana explains what her communications preferences are and how she uses her
preferences for different situations.

Dana Denis-Smith: So I would say my... again, it's about really understanding your communication
styles. I am a written communicator, again, by virtue of my medium for journalism. I was a print
journalist, and I communicate in writing most thoroughly, if you like. So if you like, my personality
writes as opposed to my personality picks up the phone or my personality is a visual personality. So I
think really understanding what is your medium is important, because there's so many ways these
days. And I know that the written word is what encapsulates the best in what it is that I want to say,
but that's not necessarily always effective on other people. So I need to adapt.

But I would say writing is the way I prefer it, but I recognize there are now, you know, I'm on all social
media. Twitter, for example, is my preferred medium because, again, it's words, and it's very snappy.
And you have to put a lot into a very small kind of space, which is very useful if you've been a news
agency writer, because that's how you build your story. And I think that making sure that people
understand that's your preferred medium, but then also, go out of your comfort zone, which is difficult,
I think, when you understand what your primary medium is. And so I have to be conscious about
where I'm strong, but also, I need to push myself where I'm... it's not my favourite way to do it, but I'll
pick up the phone, and I speak to people. And so amazing how quickly certain things get resolved
once you make that step. And just never close any channels, really, because one channel is more
suitable for a particular issue, but there are different ways to address them. But I think defining your
style is important because then it makes you realize when you are feeling a bit out of your comfort
zone, and you make yourself do it differently, and it still is good result.

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