In my 12 years as a leader, passive communicators in the workplace are often challenging to manage, especially since they appear uncooperative and unconcerned. Their teammates may also find them difficult to interact with since they make it seem as if they are not interested in contributing significantly to the team. Passive communication has its pros and cons, and it is up to you as a leader how you can effectively manage such behavior. 

Behaviors of passive communicators include always keeping to themselves, rarely voicing out opinions on various issues. They’re also indecisive since they aren’t keen on taking a stand, so they often agree with what others say. They remain stoic, bent on not revealing too much of their emotions. 

This article will look into the different indicators that can help you spot passive communication in the workplace. We will talk about the possible reasons behind the behavior they display and how you can offer them support as their leader. We will also tackle some common misconceptions about passive communicators and how you can navigate your way through these, so if you’re eager to know more, let’s begin!

1. Keeps to Themselves

Passive communicators don’t like calling attention to themselves, so they typically stay quiet, preferably unseen and unheard. They rarely voice out their thoughts and opinions on even the most pressing issues, so it’s pretty challenging to gauge their level of enthusiasm, acceptance, or aversion to new ideas or changes in the workplace.

Here are some common signs that you might be dealing with a passive communicator:

• Talks in a soft voice. They usually speak softly, almost hesitant about being heard. They dislike speaking up when in a group and, if they must, prefer voicing out their thoughts only during one-on-one discussions. 
• Avoids eye contact. Since they don’t like being put in the spotlight, they are uncomfortable about being looked at and listened to. They avert their gaze when speaking and seem eager to get away from hogging the momentary attention as quickly as they can. 
• Usually fidgets. They might constantly tap their feet on the floor, drum their fingers on the table, or twirl their hair through their fingers while talking. These are signs that they’re uneasy about speaking up. 

Did you know that language has a bigger impact on business than most managers realize?

Potential Misconceptions

An employee who prefers being quiet and distant may not always necessarily be a passive communicator. Some are just plain shy, while others may be harboring insecurities. Some may be battling with social anxieties. 

As a leader, the key is to get down to the bottom of these types of behavior they’re displaying so you can correctly identify their communication style. Quiet, socially-awkward employees usually respond better during one-on-one conversations, and this is probably the only way you’ll get to hear their take on various issues. Private discussions are also great opportunities for you to coax them out of their shells if they’re indeed just shy. 

It’s also worth noting that passive communication has some surprising benefits.

2. Shows Indecisiveness

Passive communicators prefer not to take a stand on various issues. They shy away from voicing out their opinions and prefer to just sit in the background and listen to everyone else’s views. They also have an inclination to simply agree with others even though these views completely clash with their own. As a result, the rest of their peers might start viewing them as pushovers who are uninterested and disengaged from the team.  

Here are some signs to watch out for: 

• Goes along with everyone and everything. Rather than sharing their ideas and opinions, they’d much rather go with the flow. Passive communicators seldom want to oppose anything or anyone, so you often hear them saying “Okay!”
• Has the tendency to always apologize. You might notice some employees frequently apologizing to you or their colleagues even though they didn’t do anything wrong and aren’t at all at fault.
• Likes using vague filler words. Rather than taking a firm stand on issues, passive communicators like using words like “maybe,” “kind of,” or “I could be wrong.”

Potential Misconceptions

Leading and managing a team requires you to be attuned to your team’s needs. When you notice an employee displaying these signs, avoid jumping to conclusions at once. They may not necessarily be a passive communicator — they might actually be showing signs of stress and anxiety. 

People who feel overstretched and anxious sometimes have a penchant for believing they’re wrong or they’ve wronged another person. Hence, you might find them always uttering the words “I’m sorry” even for the most trivial matters. In cases like these, firm and constant guidance and support can help them shake those worries away so they can be more collaborative and offer significant contributions to the team. 

If you are not intentionally building a psychologically safe workplace, you are leaving a lot of money (and employee engagement) on the table.

3. Exhibits Self-Deprecation 

Some passive communicators are highly critical of themselves, always pointing out their faults and shortcomings. This type of behavior typically comes out when they’re tentatively put in the spotlight, such as when they’re assigned to spearhead certain projects or when they’re being applauded for a job well done. 

Remember that passive communicators don’t like being the center of attention, so they sometimes turn to self-deprecation in an attempt to turn the spotlight away from them. Here are some more signs to look out for:

• Takes on a tongue-in-cheek stance. Some turn to humor while pointing out their faults, and can make the people around them feel confused. They always take a shot at casually ridiculing themselves to try to diffuse all the attention. 
• Downplays their strengths. In another attempt to shy away from the spotlight, some passive communicators also attempt to undervalue their strong points. Rather than reveling in and being grateful for any compliments received, they quickly brush these away.

Potential Misconceptions

Some employees who exhibit this type of behavior may not actually be passive communicators — they could simply be feeling insecure. When leading and managing a team, you must be able to bring out the best in your team members and guide them to reach their full potential. 

Try to get to know your employees on a more personal level, especially if you see a lot of untapped potential in them. Engage in one-on-one interactions where you allow them to share more of their thoughts and ideas to boost their confidence. Always ask open-ended questions so they can voice out their opinions rather than just turning to the ubiquitous “yes or no” responses. 

4. Displays Stoicism

Passive communicators are typically unresponsive to even the most exciting news. They rarely show any kind of emotion, so most of the people around them have a hard time approaching them. When everyone else is excited about a new development at work, they keep to themselves and observe from a distance. At times when everyone else is on edge about an upcoming deadline, they stay in the background, seemingly uninterested and unaffected.  

Here are some typical indicators that you’re dealing with an apathetic employee:

• Poker-faced. Passive communicators tend to keep an impassive, straight face at all times to mask their true feelings.
• Rarely asserts their views. They are often worried about upsetting their peers or about someone opposing their views, so they remain quiet and seemingly uncommitted and impartial on various issues. Some may even feel embarrassed about speaking up.

Potential Misconceptions

Sometimes, exhibiting stoicism even in the midst of the most exciting and inspiring occasions isn’t a sign of being a passive communicator, but an indication of harboring a lot of self-doubt and insecurities. They might be feigning indifference, but they are actually feeling embarrassed or shy. 

As a leader, it is your responsibility to bring them out of their shell so they can achieve their full potential. By doing so, they can share more of their talents and skills for the development and success of the business. You can allot more responsibilities to boost their morale or designate them to more crucial roles within the team so they can exhibit more of their skills and establish rapport with their teammates. 

5. Displays Fatalism

Some passive communicators believe that most matters are predetermined, and thus the consequences are practically inevitable. This is why they tend to be compliant with practically everyone and everything around them. Their favorite responses include “There’s really nothing much we can do about this.” 

This type of mindset may be frustrating to others, especially for employees that are particularly driven to excel. This is why they might often get passed over when choosing peers for certain projects or even when there are promotions to be considered. They earn the reputation of being pessimistic so their teammates may start avoiding working with them. 

These are some of the typical signs exhibited by fatalistic passive communicators:

• Tends to show acquiescence. This is not particularly due to an eagerness to collaborate and get things done. Rather, it stems from resignation that things should just be accepted as they are.
• Never shows resistance. Passive communicators rarely show any resistance, even in the most taxing situations. They would much rather go about their tasks, no matter how stressful they can get, than speak up and air their side. 

Potential Misconceptions

Exhibiting fatalism may have drawbacks and can quickly earn an unfavorable reputation for the employee involved. However, as a leader, take some time to fully assess the situation and determine whether or not the employee is truly a passive communicator or is actually an assertive communicator that is unmotivated and uninspired. 

Sometimes, work can get too tedious or predictable, and some people respond by losing their drive to excel. If you suspect that this might be the case for a certain employee, you might want to enforce changes within your team to keep the spark alive.

Consider discussing these issues with the individual involved so you can get their insights. You might be surprised that they actually have a lot to say. Keep in mind there truly are some employees who dislike speaking up in large groups and prefer voicing out their thoughts during smaller dialogues. 

6. Likes To Beat Around the Bush

Passive communicators are averse to letting themselves be heard and taking a firm stand on important issues. If they do share their opinions, they tend to beat around the bush and drop hints rather than going straight to the point. They don’t want to come off as opinionated and frank, so they like to stall and sit on the fence, especially when crucial matters are being discussed. 

Here are some signs that you might be dealing with a passive communicator:

• Prefers neutral statements. They rarely give definitive replies. They opt for evasive, non-committal statements such as “perhaps,” “I’m not sure about that, “ or “It’s up to you.”
• Exhibits nonchalant behavior. These may be as simple as slouching during meetings, avoiding eye contact, or shrugging when asked for their opinions. They reflect a lack of commitment to their teammates, which may often earn them an unfavorable reputation. 

Potential Misconceptions

Sometimes, employees who seem nonchalant, uncommitted, and unaffected about work are actually just poorly motivated. Perhaps they need picker-uppers or more challenging tasks to deal with. Maybe they need a change in their predictable routines at work, so moving them to a different team might work wonders. 

Other times, nonchalance in the workplace may be an employee’s way to cope with overwhelming circumstances. This might be part of their defense mechanism, and while everyone is judging them for seemingly being unruffled and unperturbed, they might actually be battling with a lot of worries and issues deep inside. 

Leading and managing a team is challenging enough as it is, but you also must push your employees beyond their comfort zones so they can improve and excel in their chosen field. Check-in on your employees periodically to have a clear idea of their current conditions and mindset, so that in case there are issues, you can swiftly address them. 

7. Low Sense of Ownership

Since passive communicators do not like being at the center of attention, they don’t usually like taking responsibility for their actions, even when they’ve done an exceptionally commendable job. Other times, they are inclined to claim ownership, but their introversion and apprehensions get the better of them. 

Here are some signs to help you identify a passive communicator in your team:

• Sometimes feels resentful. They might harbor negative feelings toward you or their teammates because they feel they aren’t being recognized for their hard work. This may also be due to how their needs aren’t being met.
• Avoids conflicts at all costs. Passive communicators don’t like being in the middle of disputes, so they tend to avoid confrontations and disagreements no matter what. You might notice them frequently giving in to their peers’ whims and demands, even if these already cause them inconveniences. 

Potential Misconceptions

Avoid jumping too quickly to conclusions whenever you encounter employees who exhibit this type of behavior. Try coaxing them out of their shells to determine whether they’re actually passive communicators or are merely self-effacing and shy. 

If so, you can help give their confidence levels a boost by engaging them in stimulating small group discussions where they’ll feel more at ease about speaking up. Consistently commend and reward them for a job well done until they get used to the idea of being in the spotlight once in a while. These could help motivate them to always strive for excellence in all their tasks. 

I have been fortunate enough to lead teams through multiple deployments with the Army, and in my experience, most f-ups come from one source, poor communication. Communication involves much more than talking or sharing information. If it’s not understood, it’s not effectively creating a better work environment (through building trust) for employees, managers, or customers. How can you improve your communication past the passive stage?

To improve your communication beyond passive listening for managers and employees, practice active listening and provide feedback during in-person meetings instead of email. Making direct requests and speaking up when something isn’t right can also move you beyond passive communication.

If you want to improve communication in your organization, stick around. This article will identify what passive communication looks like and how to improve it.

Passive Communication Doesn’t Make a Good Workspace

Simply put, when someone uses passive communication, they go around the block about what they want rather than getting directly to the point. An example might be, “I wish someone here would clean the litter box so the cats have a nice place to go.”

Active communication makes the request directly. Let’s look at how the above request should be phrased: “Jacob, will you please clean the litter box?”

When someone communicates passively, they look down, slump their shoulders, and speak softly. They don’t look the other person in the eye and act like what they say doesn’t matter to the team or the organization.

When managing your employees, do you find that you’re using passive communication, as referenced above? 

Many managers think that if they put up a list of things that need to be done or complain about things not being done, their employees will do them. Or they seem to think that if they just mention things in passing, their communication is received.

But that’s not the case. When managers lead like this, employees are confused about what they’re supposed to do, and less gets done. Managers, however, aren’t the only problem in a workplace with passive communication. 

Employees tend to communicate passively with each other and their managers. 

This doesn’t make a good workplace because it doesn’t address the problems or make the employees feel valued and appreciated. It also creates hard feelings, arguments, and a lack of trust and productivity. 

Another reason this doesn’t make a good workplace is that your employees are less likely to properly care for your customers. 

Let’s say that a customer calls, asking about the specifications of a certain product. If your employee doesn’t bother asking the customer certain questions about what they’re looking for, your employee could give the wrong answer.

If the customer feels slighted by this, they could go to your competitor, and you would lose their business and future business from word of mouth.

Leading your employees this way is usually not a great plan, as it could result in disaster if you don’t get control of it.

Why Do Employees Engage in Passive Communication?

Employees might engage in passive communication because they fear retribution from their managers or supervisors. If they spoke out about some of the problems they saw on the job, their supervisor might punish or fire them.

With this leadership style, employees will eventually put their heads down, do the minimum in their job, and bide their time until they go elsewhere. 

They also withhold active communication because they might think it’s not worth their time or effort, especially if their supervisors don’t listen or make the suggested changes. Acknowledging your employees’ ideas or complaints can encourage them to speak up in the future regarding complaints or ideas.

Many Leaders Don’t Encourage Employees To Speak Up

Managing a small team requires active communication, but many leaders don’t encourage their employees to speak up when something goes wrong or when they’re upset about something within the organization. 

This gives employees the idea that their ideas aren’t worth listening to, so they don’t speak up. Most of the time, managers who lead with the idea that their employees are wrong won’t look for opportunities to encourage them to speak up.

So instead of directly asking employees to do a certain task, they will post lists of things to do. And if managers expect employees to do their work without making suggestions to improve the workplace, employees won’t speak up.

The same can be said for employees who expect their supervisors to know what they need. 

Improve Communication With Active Listening and Face-to-Face Feedback Meetings

So how can you improve communication within your organization? Active listening and giving feedback in face-to-face meetings can go a long way toward achieving this goal. But this sounds like a lot of abstract words and concepts. 

What does this mean for managers and employees?

Active communication includes speaking up and listening, showing the other person you’re interested in what they need to say. In the workplace, it’s critical that managers and employees practice active communication, or the organization will fail.

Why Face-to-Face Feedback Meetings Can Improve Your Communication

Communication can also be improved with face-to-face feedback meetings. Instead of guessing what the other person thinks or feels through an email, especially if it’s critical, “need to know” information, it’s best to call that person into your office and have a personal conversation.

This also allows your employees to have a chance to give feedback to you as well. 

In a way, emails are a passive form of communication, as it doesn’t require you to participate in an active conversation or monitor how your message is being received. It also allows you to stay uninvolved with your employees, which you don’t want.

When meeting with your employees face to face, you get a better understanding and idea of your organization’s morale, and you can take steps to correct any problems as they arise. 

Why Active Listening Creates Better Results

Have you ever been conversing with someone who was only passively listening to you? You know that type of conversation where the other person does the following:

• Doesn’t make eye contact.
• Playing on their phone.
• Nods and says, “Uh-huh.”
• Talks over you or says something irrelevant to the conversation.

They may or may not be listening at this point, and you wonder if they even received your communication. And you might have felt frustrated and unheard.

Do you do this with your employees or supervisors? If so, your organization probably doesn’t get much work done, or the morale is likely low.

Actively listening and communicating with your employees or managers looks more like this:

• Keeping direct eye contact with the speaker.
• Asking relevant questions to understand.
• Gives undivided attention to the speaker.
• Doesn’t just wait for their turn to speak but actively listens and then thinks about a relevant response.

When managers and employees actively listen to each other, they retain more and can positively impact the organization. More gets done, and your company experiences more success. 

How Active Communication Benefits the Workplace

Even though passive communication isn’t always bad, active communication benefits the workplace by allowing employees to speak up about their problems and responsibly air their grievances while listening to their manager’s issues and vice versa. 

Imagine two scenarios. 

In the first scenario, Tom manages a small business providing computer and technical support to medical offices. His team consists of five employees, all of whom have different communication styles. However, he never learned how to communicate beyond the passive stage when communicating. 

He either sends his employees emails of projects without directions, or he assumes that no one will do the work and decides to do it himself. His team has no idea what they’re doing half the time, and their customers are often in the dark about when to expect things to get done.

None of his employees know how to work together well because he doesn’t know how to lead them with active communication.

The business is about to fail, and the owners are contemplating bankruptcy.

In the second scenario, Alan manages an accounting business’s team of around 20 employees. While everyone has a preferred communication style, they all communicate well and finish projects on time without much drama. The company is thriving because customers know what to expect and when.

What’s the difference between Alan’s team and Tom’s team? 

Tom’s team is very disorganized and doesn’t have a clear direction. When they try to get clear answers, he says, “Do what you want, as what I say doesn’t matter anyway.” 

Alan’s team, however, knows what’s expected of them, can get clear feedback, and is comfortable taking their concerns and questions to their manager. Alan leads with an active communication style. 

These two scenarios are purely fictional, and no particular team operates in this “black and white” format. However, it demonstrates how passive vs active communication can affect a workplace. 

When managers and employees learn to communicate directly and effectively, a failing business can succeed, but it will take work.

How To Implement Active Communication

Until now, we’ve discussed why active communication is better than passive for your workplace, but it’s all been words. Putting this into practice might be easier said than done, but it can be done if you’re willing to put in the work. 

Here’s how you, as a manager, can implement active communication within your workplace:

• Create an open door policy, within reason.
• Give your employees your full attention when they bring a complaint or other feedback to your attention. 
• Make direct requests of your employees and other managers within your organization.
• Be clear in your communication, and if anyone seems confused, ask if they have any questions.

Beyond the things you can actively do, certain nonverbal behaviors can indicate whether you’re using passive or active communication. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I making direct eye contact?
• Are your shoulders slumped, or are they straight up?
• Do you have a habit of crossing your arms and legs when communicating with someone?
• Does your voice tend to get quieter when making requests?
• Do you tend to multi-task when someone is talking to you?

Aside from the nonverbal behaviors, there are other things you can do to ensure you’re using active and direct communication:

• Have one-on-one interactions with passive communicators in your team.
• Be direct yet warm with your requests and/or statements.
• As a manager, you’ll want to ask questions your employees can answer directly. It’s better to ask when something will be done versus if they think it will be done soon.
• Ensure you understand what the other person said by rephrasing what you thought you heard, allowing you to be very clear with their communication.

The Difference Between Passive and Passive-Aggressive Communication

While we’ve been talking about passive communication and how to get beyond it, you might have someone on your team who is rather passive-aggressive (or passive-assertive) with their communication. On the outside, they might seem passive, but they also have passive-aggressive tendencies.

Passive communicators act like this:

• They speak softly and without confidence.
• They avoid conflicts.
• They don’t make direct requests.
• They would rather do something independently and overwork themselves rather than ask for help.

Meanwhile, passive-aggressive communicators do all of the above plus the following actions:

• They make sarcastic comments behind someone’s back or even to their face.
• They take revenge for some slight offense instead of directly confronting the person who made the offense. 
• They do something intentionally wrong when asked to do what they don’t want to do.
• They create drama over something trivial.
• They subtly sabotage the team’s morale and progress.

A passive-aggressive person within your team can erode any hope you have of active and assertive communication, so you’ll need to use the strategies in this article as well as do the following strategies:

• Let the person know they can responsibly express their feelings about something.
• Ensure they are truly okay with a project before continuing.
• Give everyone a chance to speak up so they don’t feel singled out.

Conclusion

While passive communication has some surprising benefits, it’s often better to speak up when you have something important to say or if you have a legitimate complaint. Managers who allow their employees to speak up often succeed better than those who don’t. Likewise, managers who speak up when needed can steer the projects and other issues to a better place.

Here is a great resource for you when you want to improve your communication but don't have someone to practice with.