Let’s Pay Attention to How People Talk – It’s Extremely Revealing!

Congratulations! If you have used the DISC Styles to place your staff into their ideal roles, then hired new folks to fill in any empty responsibilities, you are well on your way to a Fully Functioning Team. If you need help going over those steps to Minimize Turnover, I have put together an e-book, “How to Minimize Turnover: 5 Steps to a Fully Functioning Team.” Just click here for more information.

Now that your staff is in place, the next step is Good Communication. This, too, can greatly contribute to our goal to Minimize Turnover. Listening to how people talk can be extremely revealing… even clarifying. Let me explain.

This past holiday season, I had lots of time to be with extended family. Besides just loving on one another, it gave me an opportunity to practice paying close attention to how people talked and what that told me about them.

From the oldest (in his late 90’s) to the youngest (at 3 years old), how people talk can reveal their DISC Style:

• The speed they talk – are they fast talkers? These are usually the High D’s and High I’s; or are they slow talkers, thinking carefully about what they are saying? These folks probably have High S or C in them.
• The type of sentences they use – for any of you who are or have been teachers – do they use Imperative Sentences? For example – “Fill your plate first, Aunt Beth” or “Throw me the ball, Nana!” These folks usually have some High D. Then the sentences that are fun-loving, often with a “lilt” to them – this is how High I’s tend to talk. Or are their sentences warm and caring, often a little longer, often put as a question focused on the other person? The High S’s tend to talk this way. Or do they use shorter sentences that describe or ask questions about details? These are the High C’s.
• What they talk about – High D’s tend to discuss the task at hand; High I’s like to focus on ideas, especially fun ones, or a lighter subject; High S’s usually talk about people, not in a gossipy way, but their attention is on others; and High C’s talk about the details or the system involved.

All this to say, that as we seek to better understand the people around us, whether those we live or work with or those we see just every now and then, it is definitely worth the effort to pay attention to how they talk. Then the better we understand them, the better we can communicate with them. But let’s look into that side next week.

For now, I want to challenge you to pay extra attention this week to how people talk and see if it gives you a better understanding of them.

QUESTION: Have you ever considered this approach to understanding people better – by listening to how they talk? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.