Have trouble communicating with a C personality? Can’t figure out how to understand a type C loved one clearly? Or, are you struggling to talk with a type C boss or coworker?
Well, whatever your concern is, you reached the right place to figure it out. This think-piece will show you different ways to communicate with a type C person, whether they’re someone in your professional, personal, or social life.
C’mon, let’s learn to convey your thoughts clearly here…
Communicating with a C personality – 15 ways
Communication isn’t a one-way effort. Both sides need to convey their thoughts clearly. However, Type C people aren’t great at expressing themselves.
So, it’s kinda hard to figure out their feelings and what they truly want. You might piss off a type C big time if you aren’t aware of some landmines. So, get ready for some honest communication here…
1. Find out more facts
While talking to a person with type C traits, make sure you never say anything based on assumptions. You can improve communication with them in your personal, academic, and professional life if you’re aware of your knowledge.
C personality type people base their arguments on facts. They don’t like to discuss or defend matters that might not be true. They only say things that they’re sure of.
So, in their personal life, they’ll never gossip about rumors unless they know it’s the truth. They also distance themselves from people that talk about things without finding their credibility.
If this C-type person is present in your working environment and you want to convince them of your ideas, try to gather more details about why your opinion is valuable. Otherwise, they might ignore you because your ideas are based on emotions instead of the truth.
2. Declutter yourself and your space
A person with type C personality traits will never tell you “I hate your messy look or space!” They don’t want to hurt others with careless words. However, untidy spaces and people make them anxious.
This is mainly because they feel an untidy space is linked with poor productivity. They feel they can’t find their possessions on time when they need them. They might even be seen cleaning up their space and forgetting about actual responsibilities… Otherwise, they can’t calm down!
So, if you’re messy, they’ll avoid you. Even if you scream “Pay Attention!” to them and have more authority over them, they’ll be quite distracted.
So, keep your space a bit tidy… you don’t have to dust your space 24/7… just be more organized. Moreover, if you visit a type C person’s house or live with them, tidiness is a must… unless you want them to throw you out or make them leave.
3. Listen and understand the traditional methods
Type C people are all about their methods… they want you to do tasks a certain way. So, learn to understand people especially if you have a teacher, parent, mentor, or boss with type C personality traits.
They feel more satisfied when people listen to them and follow their instructions. Of course, you might know about more ways to reach the same conclusion, but they’re a bit stubborn about their ways. In fact, they might avoid you if you don’t accept their methods.
So, get on their good side by accepting their method first. This will make them feel respected and acknowledged. If you don’t listen to them, they might perceive you as a disobedient brat.
Once they accept you, you can slowly introduce your ideas to them. By this time they’ll know you want their feedback on it. They’ll be more open to understanding, accepting, and giving genuine feedback about your ideas.
4. Show them that you understand them
Type C people suppress their emotions to avoid hurting others. If they do it for too long, they feel that nobody understands them. They resent the people around them for only accepting favors from them, for thinking they’re abnormal to chase perfection, and for thinking their need for tidiness is a joke.
They hate being judged for things that aren’t even that bad. Often C-type people don’t enjoy conversations with new people because they talk about such deep stuff and nobody cares about those.
They feel that things will never change and they’ll continue being lonely or never make friends… After all, they have a pessimistic soul.
So, show them that you understand them. Don’t make fun of their words or attitude. If you feel something they ask or say is odd, question them about it. They’ll probably be excited to share their thoughts with you and you can have a smooth convo.
5. Involve them in more social situations
Since C-types are introverted, they avoid socializing with people outside their inner circle. Even if they have a pretty good relationship with others, they just can’t get familiar and open with people.
They may or may not be shy… but they feel people might find them boring. They feel their deep thoughts might be too much for most people. They also don’t like the topics they can’t input anything valuable in, so try to avoid those.
So, they mostly stay quiet in new groups. As a result, they hardly get the opportunity to befriend others. That’s why you must try to engage them more in group settings. Talk to them directly, divert others’ minds towards them, and make them face situations where they must talk with new people.
Take them out on parties and outings even if they wanna take a rain check. The more you make them feel they’re an important part of the group, the easier the communication will be.
6. Seek their opinion
Often, C-types suppress their emotions and try to please others. They want everyone to get along and amidst it all, they forget about themselves. They let their desires and needs die as they mediate among others.
Moreover, a C-type always does as the opposite person wants. Whether it’s with their family, workplace, or friends, they always try to satisfy others’ needs. They don’t want others to resent them for not fulfilling their wishes.
However, nobody asks them their needs because either they’re used to being prioritized or the C-type person always convinces others that they don’t hold a different opinion.
However, this might lead to dissatisfaction on the C-type person’s part. They might think people don’t truly care… even if they do.
So, ask their opinion about everything. Even if they say they don’t want anything different, ask them until they spill the beans. This will definitely show them you care for them.
7. Respect them and make them aware of their boundaries
People with type C behavior patterns have a high chance of being an opportunist’s target. Of course, this is because they prioritize others’ needs before their own.
People with ill intentions flock around them like bees. They quietly get used to them and feel depressed because nobody cares. They don’t understand that their kindness is wasted on undeserving people. It’s not like they aren’t aware of it… but they don’t want to make a ruckus.
So, if you ever see a type C acquaintance getting the shorter side of the stick. Stand up for them, and show them how to respect their needs and themselves. Help them realize they must set and maintain boundaries… and if someone violates the boundaries, they aren’t worth the effort.
This will help you get familiar with them and communicate with them better.
8. Don’t try to get too friendly
If the type C person around you is one of your team members, a boss, or a professor… or if it’s your first time meeting them, keep your tone and language formal.
Don’t get extremely friendly or act familiar with them. They’re introverted after all, so it’s better to not overwhelm them with excess intimacy.
Make sure you don’t invade their personal space. This can make them feel you can’t respect their space. They might have a grudge against you or avoid you because of that.
So, be cautious while you speak to them. They may not say anything back to your face… but you might not ever meet them ever again.
9. Acknowledge their hard work
Type C people put lots of effort into their tasks. They make sure that everything is perfect and they can win in whichever field they need. They even ask around a lot to be perfect at every task. So, acknowledgment, appreciation, and acceptance help them grow better.
Moreover, if they worked on something all alone, it’s even more important to give them positive feedback. This can help them become more confident and independent.
They’ll be motivated to depend on their own ideas and won’t ask around for suggestions every minute. You can also help them feel more assertive about their ideas and grow out from being a pushover. They won’t let others walk over them once they’re certain of their value.
Furthermore, if you’re someone below them in a hierarchy, complimenting them can help you learn a few tricks that’ll be helpful to you in the future.
10. Avoid talking about unknown topics
If an individual with a type C personality doesn’t know about something, they feel extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious about it. They’ll seek chances to get away from such conversations… and even if they can’t, they’ll either zone out or ignore you.
So, always ask if they’re interested or know anything about a topic. Keep your tone neutral… because if you sound too excited and interested in it, they won’t be truthful.
Avoid saying, “hey what do you think about this *insert topic*? I read a bunch about it yesterday!”
Instead, say “Have you heard about *insert topic*? Do you think it’s fun?” This gives away a more laid back and neutral vibe. They can truthfully express their interests in this tone.
11. Never beat around the bush
Whether you want to ask for a favor, want to explain something, or want to report to a type C person, don’t unnecessarily stretch the topic.
No, you don’t need to express yourself in a one-liner when you have a lot to say. It’s alright to be wordy when you confess your feelings, share your pain, or console them.
Just make sure you don’t go about in circles. Especially if you’re uncertain about something, push the conversation to when you’re confident about the news. Don’t play with your words or make riddles.
A type C person finds these illogical and gets turned off. They don’t have the patience to figure out the deeper meaning of your words. Moreover, they might feel that you’re not reliable and ignore you later on.
The worst situation you might face from this is that you might trigger their extreme pessimism.
12. Avoid superficial stuff
Here are some examples of superficial conversations you must never use with a type C person unless you want to break your connection for good:
Hi-hellos
How are you doing?
The weather is nice.
You always look amazing or I could never look as amazing as you
I swear Veronica looks amazing tonight (when the type C person has no idea who’s Veronica)
There are hardly any chances a type C individual will be interested in these topics. Rather, they’ll feel left out or turned off by them.
Instead, they’re enthusiastic about deeper topics like something about the universe, something they’re currently studying, sports, politics, current affairs, global warming, or anything that actually has a lot to know about.
13. Try to not ask for too much
Folks with type C personalities can’t easily turn down favors. They go along with everyone’s wishes to maintain a harmonious bond with everyone. However, they’re not fools. They’re aware of who takes advantage of them and they hate opportunists.
So, why do they keep going with their unreasonable requests?
Well, they mainly do it when the other person knows the Type C’s close ones. Since C-types habitually bottle their emotions, they can’t fight back if their close ones blame them for anything. In the end, the C-type person will lose other friends. So, they keep quiet in these situations.
However, if the greedy person and the C-type have no other mutual friend, the C-type will go MIA!
So, even unknowingly, don’t ask too much from a type C person. They might hold a severe grudge against you… in that situation, forget about communicating, they’ll avoid you like the plague.
14. Don’t talk about negative stuff
Individuals with type C personalities are extreme pessimists and worrywarts. Not a day goes by when they can be positive and confident about everything in their life. Even if everything goes smoothly, they become extremely anxious. They feel that if things go well for too long, they might meet a bad mishap soon.
So, unless you’re sure that their decision is wrong or something bad might truly happen, don’t burden them with negative words. Their entire day is full of negative self-talk. If you burden them even more, it’ll just get worse.
You’ll probably still stay connected but only because your words will feed their pessimism. Moreover, it will push them to major mental and physical health concerns.
But, eventually, their negativity will impact your conversations and the connection. If they become aware that you spike more negativity in their pessimistic life, they’ll maintain a safe distance from you.
15. Keep it down when they’re busy
If your type C acquaintance is busy with work, studies, gaming, or even in a crucial task, they won’t like any form of distraction. If you want to communicate with them, tell them you want to talk about something important.
Type Cs don’t multitask. When they’re focused on one thing, they’re completely immersed in it. So, if you want to talk about a vital matter, ask them if they’re free to speak or to get back to you once they’re done.
Otherwise, you’ll keep talking while they don’t even notice. Or, you’ll successfully disturb them during something crucial and they’ll be too mad to listen to you. Either schedule your conversations or be mindful if they’re busy.
However, if you only want to hang out around them, don’t make too much noise or distract them if they’re working on something.
A word from ThePleasantPersonality
All type C people aren’t the same. Some may suppress all kinds of feelings… others may suppress only their negative emotions. Some might want brief and to-the-point explanations in all areas of their life, others may only demand that in their professional life.
So, don’t assume that all type C people will react the same. And do your best to find out which tips will be better for your situation with trial and error. It might take some time, but it’ll be worth it!
Article Sources
1. https://exploringyourmind.com/type-c-personality-main-characteristics/
2. https://psychologenie.com/type-c-personality
3. https://www.yourtango.com/self/type-c-personality-positive-negative-traits
