Thursday, June 8

Personality test

I took one of these personality test things for work. I always find them to be kinda fun, and this one was particularly interesting because it focused on how to communicate with each of the four broad personality types. I thought I'd share what I learned. Rather than laying out all of the specific assessment questions, I'm just going to get right to the results. If anyone really wants the questions, I can share those later too.

First of all, there are two sets of opposing personality traits. Open or self contained; direct or indirect.

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Open people:

  • Are easy to get to know personally
  • Have a greater tendency toward animated facial expressions or observable body responses while speaking and listening
  • Tend to be more willing to show or share personal feelings more freely
  • Show more enthusiasm than the average person
  • Go with the flow, being flexible about how their own time is used by others

Self-contained people:

  • Make most decisions based on goals, facts, or evidence (as opposed to feelings or experiences)
  • Tend to keep important personal feelings private, sharing only when necessary
  • Limit facial expressions or observable body responses while speaking and listening
  • Show less enthusiasm than the average person
  • Go with their own agenda, being disciplined about how their own time is used by others.

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Direct people:

  • Are more naturally assertive and express their own views more readily
  • Are more likely to introduce themselves to others at social gatherings
  • Naturally approach risk or change more quickly or spontaneously, and naturally decide more quickly or spontaneously
  • Frequently use gestures and voice intonation to emphasize points
  • More likely to make emphatic statements like "This is so!" "I feel..."

Indirect people:

  • Are more naturally reserved and reserve the expression of their own opinions
  • Are more likely to wait for others to introduce themselves at social gatherings
  • Naturally approach risk or change more slowly or cautiously, and naturally decide more slowly or deliberately
  • Infrequently use gestures and voice intonation to emphasize points
  • More likely to make qualified statements like, "According to my sources..."
  • Tend to adhere to the Letter of the Law, rather than interpreting the Spirit of the Law

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We drew horizontal and vertical axes to see the four quadrants more easily, but there are four basic personality types based on these traits:

  1. Open and Direct
  2. Open and Indirect
  3. Self-Contained and Direct
  4. Self-Contained and Indirect

OPEN and DIRECT people are called "Socializers." They value uniqueness.

  • They tend to use a lot of "-est" words and will use multiple "!!!" and "..." when they write.
  • They want things to be interesting.
  • You can be interesting to them by being interested in them.

OPEN and INDIRECT people are called "Relaters." They value relationships. They are face-to-face relationship builders who give a little bit of everybody. They do not want to take risks and hurt someone's feelings.

  • Because this is the "nice guy," you should be nice to them.
  • When communicating with relaters, give them recommendations, not directives.
  • Reassure them; they like guarantees.
  • Give them safe options.
  • Listen so you can hear what they really mean because they won't tell you directly. If you say to a relater, "Do you want Indian or Thai for dinner tonight?" they might answer, "Both sound good... but did you hear about the new Italian place down the street?"

DIRECT and SELF-CONTAINED people are called "Directors." They value results; and they want you to be direct, fast, and to the point. They take more risks than anyone else; and they can be tough.

  • Use bullet points.
  • Don't waste time.
  • They want recommendations.

INDIRECT and SELF-CONTAINED people are called "Logicals." They value accuracy, and they like having all the information.

  • They are careful and want to take time in making decisions.
  • Proofread any communication with them because they are likely to think that if you make one mistake, then others may follow.
  • Give them time to process information you give them, but also provide realistic deadlines.

Can anyone guess what I am?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm... you must be the socializer! Can't see you being any of the other types. What about me?? Waddaya think?

Anonymous said...

jenn, i think you're open and direct. am i right?? i'm open and indirect. haha. thanks for sharing!

jennipah said...

I am WAY off the charts with being open, and I am also direct (though not as extreme on that axis) - thus, SOCIALIZER. You're both correct!

Lis - I knew you were a Relater. You're one of the most true "nice guy" types I know. I'll be sure to always be as nice as possible to you. ;)

cc - I'm gonna guess you're a Director. I bet a lot of your b-school buddies are too. Am I right? Do you want me to bulletpoint something for you?

Anonymous said...

Of course you are a socializer Jenn! I am barely a socializer (plus 1 direct and open). I don't think this test is totally accurate (some of the answers I wanted to pick in between but couldn't). But interesting nonetheless!

-Kat

PBS said...

That is a very interesting test! I'm a relater, wish people were always nice to me, ha ah!