Did you take the newsletter assessment? Review the appropriate area below to understand your communication style! It is important to keep this information on hand so that you can identify other styles and refer to this review on how to work with them (think about those that are most difficult to work with – this will help)!
Know your style and the style of others around you. It will make you the most influential person in your company!
Were your Answers mostly Red?
If you were tied with another color and red, then this posting also applies to you.
This is the high level overview (perfect for the drivers) on their communication style.
The folks that are in the primarily red section are typically drivers in companies. These are the quick decision makers that are focused on task results. They want things done fast and don’t like to slow down the process very often. They have a strong drive and desire to carry things out. They are also practical, quick, efficient and primarily focused on results.
When having conversations with someone that you may identify as a driver, keep a couple things in mind.
1. Don’t spend time in theory, get to the point.
2. Be brief and don’t provide a lot of details.
3. Give them the high-level decision (or bullet points only in an email).
Did you Circle mostly Yellow Words?
These are the very expressive yellow folks. If you were tied with another color and yellow, then this posting also applies to you.
This is the high level overview on the influencial communication style.
Those of you that are in the mostly yellow category are probably the most influencial employees in your company. These are typically your speakers and presenters with a great ability to be flexible and open minded. Many times the people that fall in this category will make decisions based on their “gut” feel rather than cold, hard facts. As they will probably tell you, this has made them the hero at times and then on the flip side also made them look a little silly (even though they probably talked through it so they didn’t look too ridiculous). These folks love a challenge, are almost always optimistic that it will all work out and are ready for change at anytime. They are risk takers, and this can sometimes get them in a bit of trouble because they can be impulsive and take unnecessary risks. They don’t like to focus on the details and would rather look at the high level strategy or “big picture”!
When communicating with these expressive folks that tend to talk with their hands, be sure to have some visual aids to explain your idea. Tell them a story and make it relavent to how the idea or vision will affect them. Please don’t bore them with details, you will lose them within 2 minutes of starting. Also, inspire them – that will get their attention!
Maybe You are an Easy-Going “Green” Person
If you had a high number of words circled in the green section, or if this came into a close 2nd then please read carefully through this blog.
The folks that fall into this area are typically the glue that holds the team or company together. They are steady, which means they probably won’t have high emotional swings (at least in front of people). They tend to have a knack for building and keeping strong relationships and have a built in high quality of trust. The people that are in this area are typically great listenings, and they are very patient. This leads to a strong tolerance for differences. They may ask a lot of questions, but this is only because they are curious and want more information, not usually because they don’t believe what someone is telling them.
Because of the emphasis on personal relationships, this person might take a much longer time to make a decision. Since they avoid conflicts and risks, they want everyone to agree on the idea, which in turn takes a much longer time to make a deciaion.
There are many specific ideas to keep in mind when approaching someone who falls into this communication area. First, show them you are genuinely interested in the conversation. Dare I say it… This means turn off your cell phone, don’t send text message in the middle of the discussion, turn away from your computer and give them undivided attention. Be patient and listen to them during the entire discussion, and do your best to not interrupt them. These ideas may be difficult for a person in the red area as the red and green are complete opposites. The red person likes a quick response and answer while the green person takes a slower decision-making style and needs time to process. The best idea is to ask this steady green person what is a good deadline for a decision to be made, and then follow-up with them on that day.
What About the Detailed Blue Person?
If you had a high number of words circled in the blue section, or if this came into a close 2nd then please read carefully through this blog.
These Concientious employees are excited to get a difficult challenge. They are designated problem solvers and will ensure that every area is thoroughly researched and correct before presenting the final results. They are also typically very careful listeners and will questions ideas that do not seem right. The employees in this category are so methodical and thorough that they may need a little push to make a final decision. Give them a deadline and then follow-up at that time.
The employees that show mostly blue behaviors are uncomfortable with changes and not tolerant of intuition. They need the information rather than the feeling. Therefore, if you are a higher yellow person, then you need to be sure you are prepared with the facts rather than your feeling when you have a discussion with a person in this category.
When approaching a person in the blue category, be more focused on the task that needs to be completed rather than building a strong interpersonal relationship. According to the folks in this category, there is a time and place for interpersonal relationships, and work is not the appropriate place. Also, bring the data – show them the reason that your specific idea needs to be implemented. Then give them time to go off and do their own research on your information.
