What if you always knew what to say and how to say it so that your message would be received clearly and receptively by others? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who exhibit this talent innately, or perhaps you’ve developed it over time. Most of us, however, need a little help in this area. You say “tomato,” the listener hears “potato.” You say “this project will help the company improve its bottom line,” the listener hears “I’m going to lose my job.”

Maybe you need to speak up or enunciate more clearly? Maybe the listener needs to take the cotton out of her ears? Unfortunately, it’s usually not that simple. Effective communication – where the listener receives the exact message you intended to send – can be tricky. Most people don’t realize how difficult it can be given the many barriers that can distort, delay or deter the message.

Even so, many of these barriers are within your control (as the sender) including the words you choose, your tone of voice, the level of detail you provide and the ability to anticipate the listener’s receptiveness. One proven tool that can help you overcome these barriers is called the DiSC Classic Profile system.

DiSC is a tool used to identify and understand individual social styles. It measures needs-driven motivation, which can be used to explain behavior and personality in a way that opens the door to more effective communication. The test measures a person’s behavioral tendencies in four areas: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness.

The theory is that if we understand our own tendencies (“styles”), and know how to recognize the styles of others, we will be better equipped to know what motivates others. If we understand what others care about, as communicators we can adapt our message and our behavior to the listeners’ style and they will be more receptive to the message.

For example, people who rank high on the D (Dominance) scale are typically less interested in details and more concerned about the big picture. Conversely, someone who is rated a high C (Conscientious) not only expects details but may not trust anyone who doesn’t provide enough information.

Let’s say your style tends toward “C” and your boss’s style is more of a “D.” You need to convince him to fund a new project, so you gather all the supporting evidence you can find, organize it into graphs and charts, and create a 30-minute presentation. About 5 minutes into the presentation, your boss interrupts and asks, “How much longer is this going to take?”

You may feel like he’s already made up his mind not to support the project. Or worse, that he doesn’t like your presentation (or you!). However, if you understood that your boss only cares about the bottom line and trusts you to handle all the details, then you would have prepared a very different pitch – one that was more suited to his style by being less detailed and getting to the point sooner. Either way, he may or may not support the project, but one thing is certain. The presentation tailored to his needs would undoubtably be the more effective, less stressful option!

In addition to the four main styles (D, I, S and C), the DiSC system measures the level of interaction between the styles. The result is one of 15 profile patterns which can reveal even more about a person’s tendencies (your own or that of others).

The DiSC assessment is based on the groundbreaking work of William Moulton Marston, a psychologist, lawyer and inventor of the lie detector polygraph. Although he didn’t use it as an assessment, the system has been used to help people better understand themselves and others for more than 30 years. At BMG, we believe in the power of this tool to improve understanding and enhance communication, and we include the DiSC assessment in several of our Change Leadership workshops.

You can find out more about the DiSC Classic Profile system online (try Resources Unlimited or DISC Profile.com). For more information about BMG’s Change Leadership curriculum, please visit us at www.bmgi.com, or call
1-800-467-4462.