Chris Breedon – DISC Profiler, Mediator and Trainer.

"that person is really confrontational, a bully and doesn’t like to be challenged".

I’ve been thinking this about someone I’ve been dealing with recently. I then realised, after my DISC training that its not that the other person is a bully, too direct and uncaring it’s the way I perceive their actions. The are just different – not difficult.  
Have you every judged or labelled some one in this type of way?

The thing is the problem could've been me.

I was just making assumptions about the other persons’ character that weren’t based on fact but that’s perfectly normal isn't it?

As an experienced leader, manager, trainer and mediator I'd been taught about communication styles, active listening, empathy etc.

I should have recalled that there are different styles of communication, and that if we only communicate in our natural style, we'll only be effective with a few people.

DISC is a fantastic tool to help us understand our natural style, and that of the people we're responsible for and work with. It teaches us how to adapt our style of communication so we can be effective with everyone. It is also a fantastic tool to use in many situations – not just work.  

So how does it work?

Well, it’s quite simple really. There are 2 packages:

We send you a questionnaire via your email address. Once you open it up you need to answer the questions withing 7-9 minutes. There will be a situation such as work, home life or whatever we are looking at and you answer the questions accordingly.

Your answers generate a profile which tells you how you view yourself, how others see you and where you ‘go’ in conflict. Theres a detailed read out for you sent in an email. If you required more detailed analysis or coaching as a consequence of your profile, then that is a different package.

You will be given a profile read out based on the below. Just remember we are a blend of the four types and we change when we get into conflict situations. If you answer the questions honestly and within the time given you will generate an accurate profile:

D type people - direct, dominant, decisive. These are fast paced people with a focus on getting the job done. They don't like lots of information and can have a tendency to zone out or skim read lengthy emails. They want to know what the task is, what the results need to be, and what the benefit is and when it needs to be done by.

I type people - influential, impulsive. These are fast paced, but with a focus on people, and everyone being happy. They're energetic, cheerful and outgoing. Similar to D, they can switch off to too much information, unless it's delivered in a fun and engaging way. They want to know how it will make people happy.

S type people - steady, sensitive, safe. These are much slower paced, with a focus on people. They like to take their time to consider the impact to other people. They prefer more detail, but with a focus on ensuring other people are comfortable and know what, how and why they need to do something.

C type people - cautious, compliant. This is another slower paced profile, with a focus on the task. They want lots of detail to fully understand how to start, the milestones along the way, and what the end results need to be. They want things to be done the way and are often reluctant to start until all of their questions are answered.

Although each profile can have tension between them, the classic ones are D vs S, and I vs C. This isn't because any profile is right, better, or more advantageous, it's because they approach situations from completely opposite perspectives.

When you can understand everyone's style, the effectiveness of your communication will sky rocket!

D's & I's - congratulations on getting this far reading this!

Want to know how to understand your team members better and accelerate productivity, efficiency, morale, and save a load of time by not having to constantly repeat yourself?

Contact us and we’ll help you with profiling.