Soft Skills 101x Business Communication

PERSONAL LEARNING ELEMENT: COMMUNICATION PERSONALITY ADJUSTMENT MATRIX

COMMUNICATING COMMUNICATING COMMUNICATING COMMUNICATING

IF YOU ARE A…… WITH A DIRECTOR WITH AN ENTERTAINER WITH A CARETAKER WITH AN ANALYST

• Be purposeful and serious
• Expect to be challenged
DIRECTOR when attempting to
influence another Director
• Acknowledge their
perspective
• Connect with them on • Allow time for them to • Respond to their questions
personal level think through things quickly and be patient when
• Appreciate their • Find opportunities for waiting for a response
achievements and them to consult with • Gather supporting data and
creativity to influence an others facts in advance
Entertainer • Offer a simple solution to
• Share your thought and Caretakers and guide
ideas with them them to closure

• Keep your conversations
short and purposeful
ENTERTAINER
• Stay on topic and keep goals
in mind
• Be action oriented
• Don’t spend time on
unrelated ideas
• Stay on topic and keep
goals in mind
• Don’t try to outshine the
other side
• Be action oriented
• Don’t spend all your time
socializing
• Incorporate stories from
others
• Allow them time to think
things through
• Gather supporting data and
facts in advance
• Don’t improvise or take
guesses
• Provide detailed instructions
• Answer any questions with
clear, detailed responses

• Let the Director feel

important

• Be prepared for the Director

to be terse and single
minded

• Allow the Director to take

the lead
 COMMUNICATING
IF YOU ARE A…… WITH A DIRECTOR
• Increase your confidence
levels
CARETAKER
• Be prepared for the
Director’s forward approach
• Don’t retreat or remain
silent
• Limit your tendency for
socializing and increase your
clarity and directness
• Reduce the amount of data
and research you share with
ANALYST them
• Shorten your answers
• Focus on themes rather
than the details
• Be open to innovation and
the Director’s ideas
COMMUNICATING COMMUNICATING COMMUNICATING
WITH AN ENTERTAINER WITH A CARETAKER WITH AN ANALYST
• Be prepared for the • Listen to them and • Anticipate questions and
Entertainer to be provide guidance in a provide your answers quicker
spontaneous and lively confident manner and with more detail than
• Remain cordial but stay • Explain the reasons for a normal
focused on matters at decision and allow them • Use data and facts to convey
hand time to come to terms your ideas
• End your conversations by with it, but remain firm • Be prepared for them to
applauding the challenge your ideas and seek
Entertainer’s ideas and more information
efforts
• Be open to innovation and • Embrace their need to be • Keep the communication
the Entertainer’s ideas social, provide them with moving forward toward a goal
• Embrace their need to be some social interaction • Share evidence that supports
social, provide them with • Provide them time to each aspect of a decision
some social interaction think and review any • Be open and personal
• End your conversation supporting material • Don’t dwell in the details
even if you feel all the • End your conversation
facts have not yet been with the offer to support
discussed them
• Reduce the amount of
data and research you
share with them