Eliminating Barriers to Effective Communication

Communication is typically one of the top 3 strategic challenges in any organization.  It seems that no group has perfect communication skills.  Communication problems can exist between departments, within teams, from management down to direct reports, or between sales & customer service.

The Myers Briggs type indicator can help individuals communicate more effectively by further understanding their Myers Briggs personality “types”, as opposed to their traits.

A Myers Briggs personality “type” is a combination of preferences, i.e. I prefer more solo time as opposed to more social time; or, in other words, I’m more introverted as opposed to extroverted.  A trait measurement takes this preference a few important steps further and identifies the “degree” of introversion, i.e. are you an extreme introvert, a moderate introvert, or half introvert & half extrovert.  The trait insights enable organizations to much more effectively understand the best role for an individual as it relates to “task” versus “people” focus, etc.

Both instruments measure one of the most recognizable behaviours in the population – sociability.  Sociability describes whether a person is more comfortable in an environment where there are regular interactions, persuasive sharing of ideas, and a general focus on involvement with others.  Or vice versa – if a person focuses more on analytical activities, communicates in a matter of fact manner, or are data driven and more skeptical of others and their ideas.  Knowing this in a person considerably improves your ability to make conscious adjustments to communicate more effectively with them.

Our communication styles assessment measures two additional traits that are highly defining in an individual’s communication style.  One is their accommodating versus assertive orientation; and the other is their ability to demonstrate adaptability for different situations and different individuals.

The communication assessment tool uses the OPP psychometric analysis to understand a person’s motivation and need to exert control over others.  Assertiveness affects everyone’s interactions in a variety of ways.  Individuals who are higher in assertiveness tend to communicate more decisively, be more directive, and are quick to express their own ideas and opinions.  At times this can translate into being more of a “teller” than a “seller”.

Individuals with a lower level on assertiveness go out of their way to be helpful, are more comfortable accepting compromises and dislike interpersonal conflict.  Frustrations can occur in interactions when this person tends to want to avoid risky decisions and may be overly cautious in their approach to problems.  

Understanding an individual’s adaptability, or their ability to change behaviours and demonstrate versatility in their interactions, will provide valuable insight into the ease – or difficulty – they will have in dealing with a wide range of people in their workplace.  Our communication styles assessment tool measures an individual’s adaptability, which is not measured by the Myers Briggs test.

The scientifically measured traits defined by the communication styles assessment make it a very accurate and reliable tool for helping organizations with their on-going challenge of effective communication in the workplace.  Profile Performance’s Communication Styles workshops are designed to bring focused learning and communication skills building into a variety of workplace initiatives: team building; improving sales and customer service; and managing & supervising diverse behaviours.

 

For more information about our Communication Styles Assessment Tool and how it encourages effective communication, please Contact Us.