Newsletter January 07

Why are you normal and other people are strange?

OK, maybe not strange…just different.

Let’s look at personality type and how it may affect people’s communication.

A person with a different personality type to you will probably communicate differently. If we have a grasp of Personality and Communication issues it can help us understand why others communicate as they do, and help us adapt our communication style in certain circumstances so that others get the message we are trying to convey.

There are many personality tests. The one used below categorises people into 4 personality types, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue.

Yellow people are: Sociable; Dynamic; Demonstrative; Enthusiastic; Persuasive; Expressive.

They like to speak, and can talk about anything; they are convincing and inspiring, spontaneous, sociable, like to have fun and like to tell stories. They are loud, may interrupt, believe they should fill the silent gaps, go off on tangents, forget, and can be poor listeners.

Red people are: Competitive; Demanding; Strong-willed; Purposeful; Driver.

They look at the big issues, want a quick outline, stick to the purpose, make decisions quickly, are open to new and different ideas, will take risks, and can be people of few words, preferring to be goal-orientated rather than people-orientated. They can be forceful, have one-way communication (they talk you listen), and are bored by trivia.

Green people are: Caring; Encouraging; Sharing; Patient; Relaxed; Amiable.

They like a schedule of things to work through, are good listeners, take on a diplomatic/mediator role, avoid conflict and are easy to get along with. They can be people-orientated rather than goal-orientated. They may not want to speak up and may prefer people to speak on their behalf, they resist change, are reserved, and too compromising.

Blue people are: Cautious; Precise; Deliberate; Questioning; Formal; Analytical.

They won’t make rash decisions, liking a lot of details before making a decision, are sensitive to others, persistent in getting their message across, will listen, will speak deliberately and precisely, and are persistent and thorough. They may not speak up, will take part in ‘sensible’ conversations only, speak slowly, may be hard to please, and won’t take risks.

Think through some of the people you know. Do you recognise any of the communication styles in them?

Happy speaking!

Copyright Successful Speaking 2007