Unlock the Secrets to Effective Communication with the DISC Model
Everyone communicates differently. But have you ever wondered why?
Our personalities, shaped by our beliefs, experiences, upbringing, emotions, and current activities, make us unique. So we turn out quite differently. Understanding these differences is key to effective communication: You need to know your style and understand how your messages are received by others.
This summer, I attended an intriguing leadership seminar where I was introduced to the DISC model. It’s an amazing tool to enhance your communication skills.
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| Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash |
In this article, I’ll walk you through the basics of the DISC model and show you how you can use it to improve your interactions with others!
What is the DISC model?
In essence, the DISC model categorizes human behavior into four personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Each type represents different communication styles and preferences.
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| DISC, Source: Leadership seminar based on the insights-mdi |
The great thing about the DISC model is its simplicity.
While every person and their behavior are unique, we can describe our actions based on the four personality types in the model. In general people have some aspects from all personality types.
However, most people have a dominant one.
Let’s walk through the four types.
Dominance (Red)
People with red personalities focus on themselves and the “What”. They are generally extroverted, competitive, and goal-driven.
Communication style
Usually, they communicate directly and avoid fluff completely: they focus on the topic, the performance, and the facts. They are the main speaker in a conversation.
As they are goal-focused, emotions play a minor role in their communication.
Leadership style
People with a red personality are dominant leaders.
Therefore, they are fast in their decision-making. Reds embrace risks and like to challenge people (and challenge themselves). As they are very performance-driven, they value quick and good results and let others know how they perceive a result - good or bad.
Reds give direct feedback (and like to be given direct, blunt feedback) and they are willing to take conflicts (sometimes even embrace them).
Influence (Yellow)
People with yellow personalities focus on the group and the “Who”. They are generally extroverted and very communicative.
Communication style
Yellows love to chat. So, when speaking with a Yellow, take your time.
Emotions are crucial in how Yellows communicate. They find it blunt if you get straight to the point, so make sure to discuss personal topics before diving into business and tasks.
Yellows can be very enthusiastic and this is also their tactic for persuasion. They want to motivate and engage others with their enthusiasm. As they see the positive side of everything, it can be difficult to openly discuss conflicting topics with them.
Leadership style
Yellows are inspiring leaders. They are leading democratically and it is their goal to motivate everyone in their team. However, they can get annoyed if others are not as enthusiastic as they are.
Steadiness (Green)
People with green personalities focus on the well-being of others and the “How”. They are rather introverted, but still good communicators.
Communication style
Greens have an unconfrontational communication style.
Instead of engaging in a conflict (like Reds would), they give in and want to please others. They are not particularly good at self-marketing. But others greatly appreciate their willingness to help.
Leadership style
Greens are friendly in most circumstances. They are supportive and compassionate leaders and are also very loyal within their teams. They could be considered servant leaders: they try to protect their team and support them wherever they can.
In decision-making, they take their time as they first take the ideas and opinions of everyone into account.
When it comes to conflict management they are very good mediators and are valued for their ability to (really) listen.
Conscientiousness (Blue)
People with a blue personality focus on the topic at hand and on the “Why”. They are very fact-driven.
Communication style
Their motto is: “Think first, talk later.” Emotions play a minor role in their communication style. This can make them seem like less engaging conversation partners or even cold-headed, especially for light or casual topics.
However, when it comes to discussing a topic thoroughly, they are good conversation partners.
Leadership style
Blues have a clear and transparent leadership style.
They openly communicate the metrics they act upon. People with blue personalities don’t shy away from speaking their minds, as long as they have proof. Then they also have a strong ability to convince as their statements are backed (with data, and evidence).
The topic “conflict management” is an interesting one for Blues: they’d love to have a process for dealing with conflicts. They are very reflective, but just on the fact side and not so much on the emotional side.
Interaction of different personality types
After this brief introduction to the different personality types, let’s have a look at how they perceive each other.
- How Red perceives the other types:
- Yellow: unfocused, but good communicators
- Green: slow, wasting time
- Blue: overthinking, fact-based
- How Yellow perceives the other types:
- Red: dominant, sometimes too dominant
- Green: encouraging
- Blue: formal or boring, distant and cold
- How Green perceives the other types:
- Red: dominant to a point where it becomes rude
- Yellow: good communicators, envy their courage
- Blue: formal
- How Blue perceives the other types:
- Red: works well together, time-pressure (feeling pushed)
- Yellow: time-waster
- Green: friendly
How you can use DISC
What personality type are you?
After reading the previous section, you might already have a sense of your dominant personality type. We’re generally pretty good at assessing ourselves.
If you want to be certain, I can highly recommend that you take a test. There are many different tests available:
- The one we did in my leadership seminar was this one.
- There are also free online tests available that you can take.
- There is a similar test (related to DISC) by Red Bull: the wingfinder (it is free of charge as well)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your personality type?
However, knowing what dimensions are your dominant ones is just the first step. To really make a change, have a look at the strengths and weaknesses.
- Red: Reds can come across as very dominant, which can be both a strength and a weakness. It depends on who they’re talking to. Yellows and other Reds appreciate their quick decision-making. However, when talking to a Green or a Blue, as a Red, you should be careful not to push them too hard, as these types need more time. With patience, however, you’ll get excellent results.
- Yellow: Communication comes naturally to Yellows, which is a strength. However, it might be overwhelming for Blues or Reds. As a Yellow, try not to be too chatty when talking to them. Your communication skills can complement their fact-based, performance-driven approach, making you a great team together.
- Green: Greens think of others and offer a helping hand when needed, making Greens a valuable addition to any team. However, a common weakness is that Greens often focus so much on others’ well-being that they forget to care for themselves. If you are a Green, remember to look out for yourself too!
- Blue: A strength of Blues is their thoughtfulness, making fact-based decisions that are often democratic. However, this decision-making can seem slow to others. In communication, Blues might come across as a bit cold. If you are a Blue, try to engage in small talk (at least a little bit) when interacting with a Yellow or a Green.
What personality type are you surrounded with?
Which color is dominant when you think of your team, your boss, or your peers? If you can figure that out (or assess yourself), it can improve the way you communicate.
Each personality type has its communication style: Reds are direct, Yellows take more time to get to the point, Greens might let go of their ideas even if they’re the best ones, and Blues are fact-focused. Knowing your conversation partner’s type allows you to create an environment where they feel confident sharing their thoughts.
Try this quick exercise: Think of your most common conversation partners, consider the four personality dimensions, and assign each person a dominant color (or two). The next time you engage in a conversation with them, recall this exercise and set up the conversation in a way that benefits you both.
For an even greater impact, consider doing the personality analysis as a team and sharing the results.
Thank you for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. The particular version of DISC I used is the INSIGHTS MDI-Model of Communication. If you’re intrigued, I highly recommend taking the test yourself!