Friday, June 10, 2011

Communication - Read Your Audience (Part III)

Communication - Read Your Audience (Part III)
by Lee__ on 07-13-2010 at 01:46 AM (160 Views)
http://www.rletc.com/entry.php?387-C...ence-(Part-III)

"Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." - - George Bernard Shaw


Qualifier
I am more than a little skeptical of personality tests and their usage, I must confess, but that is probably a subject for another blog or a post in the Carl Jung's personality test thread.

Icebreaker Activity, Neat Trick
That said, I used them a lot as a corporate trainer. Turns out personality tests are a great training tool. They are terrific ice breakers. Naturally. Our favorite subject, at least for many of us, after all, is ourselves. And they're a pretty nifty parlor trick.

Common Language
They make an excellent basis for what trainers like to call "common language," which basically means, "Let's all get on the same page and call it the same thing in order to better understand each other and not be confused by moments of, "So when you say 'X,' do you mean what I mean when I say 'X' or what that guy over there means when he says 'X'?" or "Can we all agree to call it a 'coalesced object' and not 'that Rubiks cube looking thingamajig'?" It's an agreement on terminology in order to facilitate more effective and efficient communication. Basic personality tests are great for that. And the simpler the personality test, the better it is as a tool for the purpose of common language.

Illustration, Reminder, Communication
Personality tests also serve as both an illustration and a reminder that people are different and therefore give and receive information differently. They are a great basis from which to start a discussion about strategizing effective communication. Emphasis on start.

Lasting Image, Association
Ever seen someone do the old time management efficiency illustration with a jar of rocks, pebbles and sand? Instant wow factor, instant recognition, instant understanding and instant common image burned right into the memory banks. Boy does it stick with people. Basic personality tests are like that.



KISS, Colors
It's a bit cumbersome, potentially awkward and definitely annoying to walk around identifying people as INFPs or ESTJs and so forth and then working out a communication strategy for the 16 personality types in daily conversations. I'm not actually recommending that. But I still think it is helpful to have some idea of general communication cues to watch for and respond to...and I think a basic personality test like Colors at least starts a conversation about how to do that. Also, the more complex systems tend to get individuals thinking solely about themselves and for too long for discussion or training purposes. (Have you seen how long the entire description for each personality is?) Colors is about as basic as it gets and because of that it tends to be popular, it tends to pull people out of paperwork and makes it easier for them to think in context of community.

Common Colors
It also tends to have a lot of variations. Like I said, it's popular. People like to play with it. So yeah, we're going to need to take a moment to work on common language so we are on the same page about what color represents what communication style. Won't that be nice?

Part IV coming up...




Updated 01-05-2011 at 03:12 AM by Lee__
Tags: communication, personality tests, psi shrinkers, team

Comments:

Darcy - 07-13-2010 04:06 AM
You just love leaving me hanging, don't you?

Can't wait for part IV!

Lee__ - 07-13-2010 04:14 AM
I do.

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