Overview of the Me > You > Us Model: Self-awareness, empathy, and mutual objectives.

Before we get started, let’s discuss the learning process and some strategies to get the most from this program.

Used by over 11 million people and thousands of organizations, the DiSC provides a simple, yet powerful model that describes four basic personality styles.

DiSC can help us understand interpersonal dynamics, read the room, and understand the situation and players.

Confident communication starts with self-awareness. This video explores strategies to better understand what’s going on inside us during conversation, so we can stay conscious and respond rather than react.

Explore the Workplace section of Catalyst, go deeper into understanding your style, and learn 3 strategies you can work on to become a more confident communicator.

Before we dive into understanding others (“You” in the Me > You > Us process), let’s review the 4 DiSC styles, and their communication tendencies, blindspots, and habits.

While DiSC can’t tell us what people are thinking, it can help us understand how people think. In this video we learn to quickly identify someone’s DiSC and communication style, so we can better understand their needs.

If you’re the one talking, you’re not the one learning. This video discusses one simple way to be a better listener.

Learn to recognize nonverbal communication. People reveal a lot, if you’re paying attention.

Let’s return to Catalyst to dive deeper into understanding what’s going on for the other styles during a conversation.

Empathy is not pity, sympathy, or even compassion. It’s understanding someone else’s needs. When we empathize we become far better communicators, better able to be heard and to influence.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) helps us read the emotional and interpersonal requirements of a situation and respond quickly and appropriately.

We all react differently under stress, and during conflict (which includes disagreements). It can be very helpful to learn to identify when you or your colleagues are exhibiting unhealthy conflict behaviors, so you can use your skills to bring them (and yourself) back into healthy conflict.

Adapting your message to the communication needs of the listener can not only get you better results but help you get your own needs met and improve the relationship.

As Susan Scott said, “The conversation IS the relationship.” A “process conversation” is when you talk about how you and another another person communicate, like to be given feedback, how you can disagree, and how you can meet each others needs in conversation. Have them often to improve your relationships.

Requests are the source of much misunderstanding, frustration, and erosion of trust. Use the CPD formula for making clear requests.

Learn to recognize this behavior in others…and your self.

Reframe it from “you against me” to “you and me against the problem.”

Unfortunately, we have terrible role models when it comes to communication. Our parents, teachers, the media, politicians, and just about everyone around us model destructive communication habits. Rather than connect us, most of the language we use drives us further apart.

When we use the language of Demands, Deserve, Diagnosis, and Denial of Responsibility, we are less likely to inspire compassion, cooperation, or connection.

What’s the fastest way to cause someone to go to silence or violence?Judgments are the stories we lay on top of our observations. True or not, the judgmental language will simply put the other person on the defensive and block their ability to hear you.

What’s the fastest way to cause someone to go to silence or violence?Judgments are the stories we lay on top of our observations. True or not, the judgmental language will simply put the other person on the defensive and block their ability to hear you.

Stories allow us to feel good about getting terrible results. As humans, we are really good at coming up with explanations that serve us well. Sometimes our stories are accurate. Sometimes, they justify bad behavior, making us feel good about not having to change.