Finding Your Communication Style
Personality Differences
Variety is a fact of group life. No matter how skilled, prepared, motivated and responsible the
individuals involved in a group, personality differences exist. Personality “difference” is not the
same as personality conflict. Differences can often lead to conflict, however, if they are
1) not understood,
2) blamed on ethical or intellectual failure rather than individual or cultural
preferences, or
3) not discussed until emotions get out of hand.
Sometimes people think it is impolite to talk about differences honestly. (Your mother probably
taught you not to point at kids who were “different.”) In other situations, people just don’t have
the vocabulary to talk about differences productively. (You never learned any other way to
describe “weird” people.) Either way, differences can get in the way of group work. Because
they can’t be discussed productively, they can easily turn into conflict.
Talking About Communication Style
Although the topic might be unfamiliar and even uncomfortable, your communication and work
preferences are something you need to be able to talk about with your co-workers, supervisors
and colleagues in order to work successfully with them. You need to know what you are good at,
and what you will need others on your work team to help you with. You need to be able to
describe the things that you can only do for a little while, as well as the things are that you’d be
happy to do for the rest of your life. Most important for group work, you need to be comfortable
explaining to others on your work team how you work best, what you don’t do well, and what
you can promise to do better than most other people.
A Vocabulary for Personality/Interaction Dimensions
The dimensions here reflect some fundamental differences in the way human beings interact with
their environment, process information, and use that information to act. Even without learning
about the underlying psychology and physiology, learning to talk constructively about these basic
differences can help co-workers approach team work constructively.
Interaction Preference: Extravert vs. Introvert
Some people are energized by being around people and seek out interaction as an
enjoyable, relaxing activity. Others have to spend energy to interact with people and
need to recharge by getting away from people for a while. A few people lie at the
extremes, but most people fall somewhere in the middle, learning to do some things
better with people and some things alone.
Information Source Preference: Sensate vs. Intuitive
Some people prefer to use the information they get from their senses—what they can see
and touch and hear. Others are more inclined to value the invisible ideas, concepts or
theories that people create to explain sense data. Most people have learned to use both
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kinds of information depending on the circumstances, but will tend to prefer one or the
other if they have a choice.
Problem Solving Style: Analytical vs. Global
Regardless of where people get their information, they will have preferences about how
they use it. Some people like to compare new information with other information,
classifying it, defining it, looking for the ways in which one thing is different from
another. Other people like to see how information fits together, seeing the whole pattern
of all the pieces together and worrying less about what the individual bits look like.
Most people can do either kind of information processing, but will find one way to be the
“easiest” or most “natural” or most “productive” thing to try first.
Decision Making Preference: Judger vs. Perceiver
Before action can be taken, some sort of decision must be made with the information
your brain has processed. Some people appreciate the sense of closure that a decision or
action brings, and will make it as soon as possible. Others like to remain open to new
information, new ideas or changes in the environment and prefer to delay a decision as
long as possible.
Action
As a group, work through the next few pages. Each person should complete a survey
individually, but spend some time comparing your answers and talking about how you feel about
the various choices. There are no wrong answers.
Everyone has the capacity to use a full range of behaviors, but over a lifetime of habit, practice
and feedback, you will have learned to rely most of the time on a more limited set of behaviors.
Often, people will realize that they would respond differently at work or at home. Or they would
prefer to act one way in some situations, but find they are more comfortable doing the opposite at
other times. If that’s the case, select the answers that are most comfortable for you at work.
Once you have some information about your members, it is your responsibility as a group to
develop procedures that take full advantage of your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses and
achieve a working balance of diverse approaches. As you will discover, there are no bad
personality styles. In fact, most complex jobs take all the capabilities of all possible human
beings, so the ideal group has at least one of every style. In general, people should be assigned
to do things that they do well. You also want to watch for places where one person is quite
different from the rest of the group. You NEED that one person’s talents, but it’s easy for a lone
voice to get “lost” in the conversations. When everyone else feels differently, sometimes it’s
very hard to stand up for your own point of view. Don’t think the “majority” should always rule
if that keeps your group from using all its resources. The GROUP should make a commitment to
make sure to ask for everyone’s ideas, even though not everyone is comfortable speaking out.
More important, if your group discovers it has an imbalance of styles, you will have some idea of
where problems are most likely to occur. If you don’t find some way of making sure all the
necessary problem-solving steps get taken care of, the result is usually something going wrong!
Balancing Communication Styles
Only a large organization can expect to have representatives of all interaction and information
processing types, yet all types of information processing are needed for consistent success in
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complex tasks. In fact, people often cluster in professions with others who are like them. For
example, an organization of engineers will tend to have a large number of Logical thinkers but
very few Feelers to balance them. Thus, it is important to recognize when someone is missing.
The Liberal Arts, in general, tend to have lots and lots of logical and theoretical thinkers, while
the more active types gravitate toward business careers. The feelers might be out producing art
rather than attending school at all.
Learning to function well in a group involves learning how to balance all the strengths and
corresponding weaknesses of different human beings. Communication is the means of doing
that. So, the basic task of this project is to learn to talk about how human beings do things
differently. In order to do that, you can use the vocabulary of this chart to talk about all the parts
of getting a job done. You will need to understand how communication can be used to get those
jobs done. Finally, you will need to develop skills to “play” the whole variety of roles needed to
insure your group’s success. If you have only a few of one sort of people in your group, take
good care of them (especially if they are introverted besides).
As a group, you will want to
1. Balance group assignments to take advantage of natural interaction preferences as
much as possible. Let the Introvert spend long hours in the library, or don’t make
him come to every single meeting. Have the Extravert give the introduction and
conclusion statements that have to be prepared at the last minute, but don’t expect
her to accomplish long writing assignments between meetings.
2. Work together on complex tasks that require attention to both the big picture
planning and the details of getting the job done. Very few people are equally good at
both, and even if they can do both, they usually prefer one or the other. Thus,
complex tasks are BETTER done by groups of people where both kinds of
information sources can be utilized for maximum success.
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Interaction Styles
For each pair, check the box that is most like you AT WORK.
Talk first; think later. Sometimes don’t
know what you think until you say it.
Like to think about things before you talk
about them, better yet, rehearse thoughts
in private before talking at all.
Know a lot of people. Like a lot of
people. Have a ton of “close friends.”
Enjoy private time to yourself; don’t like
to be interrupted when doing something.
Not distracted by reading with the TV on,
or having a conversation while other
people are doing the same.
Either bothered by other people around,
or have very well developed powers of
concentration to avoid the distraction.
Finds it easy to get into a conversation
with people, even total strangers.
Perceived by others as “a great listener”
or “shy” or “stand-offish.”
Telephone calls are welcome
interruptions. Like to have people just
drop by to say hi.
Can’t get anything done unless you
protect yourself from interruptions.
Enjoy going to meetings, parties, . . .
anywhere there are people around to talk
to.
Would rather have a very few close
friends over than to go to a large party.
Prefer brainstorming ideas in a group to
doing it alone. Might not even think up
ideas when alone. Get “bored” or “tired ”
when alone and lose interest and energy
for activities in general.
“Can’t think” when there are a lot of
people around. Most creative alone in a
quiet place and the farther from people
the better.
Would go to a party to cheer yourself up.
Would need to be alone to relax after a
party.
If you have more checks in the first column, you are more Extraverted.
If you have more checks in the second column, you are more Introverted.
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Preferred Information Sources
For each pair, check the box that is most like you AT WORK.
Like specific answers to specific
questions. If you ask what time it is,
you’d rather hear “10:05” than “a little
after ten.”
Annoyed by people who are too fussy
about details. Would rather just get the
general drift of things and then move on
to something else.
Like to concentrate on the here and now,
what you see and hear around you.
You’d pay more attention to the football
plays than to the “importance” of the
game.
Like to understand the meaning, the
essence, the underlying importance of a
thing, even if you don’t take the time to
worry about all the details. You can
enjoy an important game without
knowing a thing about football!
Like to see tangible effects, not
hypothetical cases. You’d rather get out
on a picket line than think up a winning
court argument.
You like to dig for the relationships and
connections behind the events. You’d
rather figure out the pattern of the crime
than go catch the crook.
In general, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In general, there’s always room for
improvement.
Would rather work with facts and figures
than ideas and theories (and chances
are, you’re good at facts and figures,
too).
Facts and figures bore you, but you could
theorize for hours (and you might even
be considered a creative thinker.)
You don’t see much point in dreaming
about the future, or making plans for
“someday” when there’s so much to be
doing right now.
Planning the event, project, or semester
is a whole lot more fun than buying the
food, painting the cupboard or taking the
classes.
You’d rather have clear instructions and
follow them step by step, than be
expected to follow vague guidelines or
unfinished, incomplete plans.
You hate it when people give you all the
steps to a job, as though they didn’t think
you could figure it out for yourself.
“Seeing is believing.”
Nothing should be taken at face value.
The real meaning lies beyond what can
be seen on the surface.
You tend to take things literally and
probably prefer to say exactly what you
mean, without a lot of fancy words. or
empty talk.
You are probably good at language,
perhaps enjoying poetry, word games, or
writing.
You’d rather focus on your own task and
let someone else worry about the big
picture or the long range.
You’d rather do the planning, and even
the worrying about the future, and have
someone else deal with the nitty gritty
details.
If you have more checks in the first column, you are more Sensing.
If you have more checks in the second column, you are more Intuitive.
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Processing Preferences
For each pair, check the box that is most like you AT WORK.
You find it easy to separate parts of your
life, leaving aside “personal” problems to
concentrate on your studies, or putting
class work out of your mind while you are
on a date.
All parts of your life must be “in sync”
before you can feel relaxed. It would be
better to have a subdued quiet date when
school is getting you down than to
“pretend” everything is fine and party
anyway.
You might be described as “unemotional”
or “uninvolved” but also “sensible” or “a
careful thinker.”
You might be described as “over
sensitive” or “impressionable” but also
“empathetic” or “caring.”
You like to make decisions based on
careful rules, distinctions between things
or logical analysis. Ethical decisions
should be based on laws, personal
decisions on a consideration of the facts,
and business decisions on careful
financial analysis.
You like to make decisions based on
your sense of the overall situation, even if
you can’t quite put your finger on exactly
what it is that gives you that sense. It
would be silly to make a choice that didn’t
“feel right” even though the facts seemed
to point that way.
Understanding the arguments on either
side of a question, or carefully critiquing
every aspect of an argument for or
against an issue, is the only way to really
make a good decision. You want to know
EXACTLY why someone thought the
movie was good or bad.
No amount of discussion can ever really
solve a problem. At some point, you just
have to balance all the various points of
view and do what everyone is most
comfortable with. Even if a person
thought they knew what they liked about
a movie, they couldn’t ever describe the
whole experience.
Being clear is more important than being
appreciated and you think it’s worth the
effort to know exactly where other people
stand on an issue.
Getting all the details “on the table” can
get in the way of the real issues. Being a
little ambiguous is sometimes the best
way to get things out in the open.
You like to get at the “heart” of things,
discarding or ignoring irrelevant
information, details, or topics that don’t
help you decide.
You like to get a feel for the whole
situation before making any decisions
and focusing on just a few details doesn’t
tell you much.
You have little patience with people who
can’t explain exactly how they’ve come to
a decision; they probably don’t really
know what they think.
You’re suspicious of those who think
every decision has to be make for a
specific reason; most of the time the
world is just too complicated to
completely explain.
More likely to believe in the scientific
answer than in what people think.
More likely to think people have more
sense than science can explain.
If you have more checks in the first column, you are more Analytical.
If you have more checks in the second column, you are more Global.
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Decision Making Preference
For each pair, check the box that is most like you AT WORK.
You like to have a place for everything,
and to keep everything in its place.
You’re always willing to try a new path, a
new way, a new source of information.
There are never too many new ideas.
The world would be a better place if
people would just get it together and do
what they need to do.
You’re flexible, willing to change your
plans, always open to a last-minute
option . . . and like to be ready to take
advantage of them.
You like to start the day with a pretty
clear plan of what you will be doing.
An over-planned day makes you crazy . .
. and you probably wouldn’t make it to
half those appointments anyway, since
something else always seems to come
up.
Checklists, calendars, and filing systems
are the tools for success.
Too much organization gets in the way of
living life. There is more satisfaction in
dealing with the things life brings you
than in trying to control every aspect of it.
One you’ve made plans, you resent
changing them. Sometimes it’s even
more comfortable to go to the unexciting
place you said you would than to do
something fun on the spur of the
moment.
The most fun is found in spontaneous,
spur of the moment activities.
You’re a good time manager and when
you set a deadline for yourself, you
generally don’t have problems sticking
with it.
Procrastination is your middle name, if
only because there is always so much
new stuff coming along to do right away.
It makes you nervous when you know
you will have to do something but can’t
find out exactly when.
You hate being pinned down, having to
make decisions too soon, or come to
conclusions without considering all the
options.
You’d prefer a yes or no answer to a
maybe, even if the decision is not in your
favor.
No answer is ever final. There can
always be new information or priorities
that can give people reasons to change
their minds.
If you have more checks in the first column, you are more Judger.
If you have more checks in the second column, you are more Perceiver.
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Communication Styles
Now plot your results from the Interaction and Decision Making preferences to find your
interaction style. This is a composite of the characteristics that determine how you habitually
interact with other people.
Judger
Perceiver
Extravert
Introvert
Energizer
Scheduler
Likes to get to a decision and likes to be
around people to do it. The
combination is often perceived as being
a “natural leader.” Your ideas might
not always be the best ones (so you
need to be sure you’re not energizing
right over someone else’s thoughts) but
at least you are willing to “take the bull
by the horns” and get a group going in a
direction. Be careful that you don’t let
your urge to go in ANY direction, so
long as you have a plan, get in the way,
but you can be an invaluable “selfstarter” to get a group moving.
You might be the person who never says
a word, and then suddenly summarizes
everything everyone else has said with
the obvious conclusion. Or, perhaps you
are the person who keeps the calendar of
meeting times . . . including how long
each meeting is expected to last. Of
course, you might become impatient and
agitated if the meetings go on longer
than planned, but at least you bring a
sense of order to the proceedings.
Don’t expect to be the person to get the
meeting going, but you might be the one
who leads it to a productive conclusion.
Brainstormer
Listener
Likes to have people around and is
always looking for a new perspective,
another opinion, a fresh idea from them.
Could probably talk for hours and hours
and hours about whatever came up.
Might not have any particular urge to
get to a point. Might even avoid
coming to a conclusion if it means the
meeting will have to end. Be willing to
set limits on the time you spend on
exploratory talk, but you are the person
to see that everyone’s ideas do get
explored before a decision is made.
Others might think you have nothing to
contribute, but you are the one who
thinks about the implications of what
people say. You don’t just hear people,
you relate what they say to how you
think about the world. Your tendency
might be to keep all that insight to
yourself, but if others give you a bit of
quiet space they will find some of the
best ideas come from your direction.
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Information Processing Style
Now plot the results from the information sources and problem solving lists to find your
information processing styles. This describes the way each person likes to “think” about things
and influences what each prefers to communicate about.
Analytical
Global
Sensor
Intuitive
Logical
Theorizer
Oriented toward facts, tangible
evidence, the here and now. You like
to see a step by step procedure toward a
realistic, definable goal. You will be
motivated by tangible rewards and you
will enjoy the sense of accomplishment
that comes from tackling the steps of a
project in an organized way. These
“detail” people are crucial for making
sure everything has been covered and
that the final presentation is polished
BUT they can drive everyone else crazy
when they insist on asking one more
question, or on doing things exactly
right.
Chances are people think of you as
“brainy.” You like to look at the big
picture, but you are willing to analyze it
into manageable pieces. You’d rather
talk about ideas than about action, but
you’re good at “reverse engineering” a
situation to figure out what plan of
action might make sense. These “big
thinkers” are goal oriented and willing
to focus on the overall concept or
purpose BUT they can be bored and
impatient with the step by step process
of getting work done.
Active
Feeler
You’d rather be doing than thinking,
and you don’t like to spend a lot of time
second-guessing what you are doing.
You like to be recognized for your
effort and you will gladly march all day
for the sake of an appreciative group.
These “pragmatic” types recognize
limitations and ask important
workability questions BUT might be
impatient with the whole academic
insistence on getting at the underlying
meaning of everything.
Sometimes it’s hard for you to explain
why you believe what you believe;
things sometimes come to you in flashes
of inspiration. You might seem to have
a “sixth sense,” especially where people
or animals are concerned. You like to
know you’ve had an impact in other
people’s lives and you might be accused
of catering to others’ desires. These
“creative” types provide ideas that get
the committee going BUT not all ideas
are workable and the creative person
might not do well as a synthesizer or
analyzer of workability.
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Group Composite
To a certain extent, your group’s behavior is a composite of its individual members’ styles. As
you work through this analysis, you should become familiar with each other’s preferences and
habits. The idea is not to all be alike. In fact, the more differences there are, the better prepared
you are to cope with the variety of things you’ll need to do to complete your project. You simply
want to become familiar with each other’s thinking and communication styles so that there aren’t
too many surprises or misunderstandings as the project gets under way.
Find each individual’s communication and information processing style and write his or her
name in the appropriate box.
Communication

Energizers
Schedulers
Brainstormers
Listeners
Information
Processing 
Logicals
Theorizers
Actives
Feelers
Look for holes and clusters that indicate the group that is unbalanced in some way. This is
common to find in work groups because people who have similar personalities often select
similar careers. Most projects require a team to use the full range of human behaviors, however,
so you need to know if your team is starting off with any deficiencies. Do all your group
members cluster in a single area of the map? What types of communication, thinking or
decision-making is your group lacking? How can you make sure that your group does BOTH
analytical and global thinking? How can you make sure that your group is BOTH decisive and
flexible?
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