Quickly read and understand people
This week, the Daily Tip will share a method to quickly read, understand, and relate to people, using the DiSC model.
DiSC is a personality assessment used in workplace culture building, communications training, and conflict resolution. Simple to use once you know the basics, the model describes four personality styles:
Dominance: direct, strong-willed, and forceful people
Influence: sociable, talkable, and lively people
Steadiness: gentle, accommodating, and soft-hearted people
Conscientiousness: private, analytical, and logical people
One of the many ways to use this model is to quickly and accurately read someone, so you can adapt your style and present your points in a way they’ll be more likely to get -- not unlike mirroring someone’s body language to get them to warm up to you.
It’s easy, once you learn it
If you want to instantly read someone, to understand their basic, natural tendencies, then all you have to do are keep an eye out for just two traits. Ask yourself:
Are they more accepting or skeptical?
Are they faster or slower-paced?
That’s it. Once you identify where the person is on these two sliding scales, you have access to a huge amount of information about how best to relate to them.
Think of someone you know and place them on this chart:
Use the DiSC Model to quickly read and connect with people.
Here’s where things get interesting. People’s outward traits can tell you a lot about how they think. If you know what style of communication they prefer, you can adapt to their style and come off as more relatable.
If someone is fast-paced and skeptical (Dominance style), you’ll want to get right to the point to help them understand you better,
If someone is slower-paced and skeptical (Conscientious style), you’ll want you to explain the details so they can better understand you,
If someone is fast-paced and accepting (Influence style), you’ll want to get excited with them about your topic, and
If someone is slower-paced and accepting (Steadiness style), they'll be comforted to know that others have been or will be consulted.
The rest of the week, we will take a deeper dive into the four styles, including how to read and adapt to people using this quick and easy approach.
