I am going to focus of four basic personalities. These are the same four that Socrates referred to back around 450 or 400 years before Christ, and scientists agree that your character is a mix of these four basic personality types. To bring in a modern day translation I’ve renamed the four different personality styles. I will refer to them as the direct person, the thinker/analyzer, the social extrovert, and the relational person. As I list out each style I will also include the following 7 challenges along with solutions so that you can communicate with success regardless of any personality challenge you face.

The first challenge we will cover is recognizing which personality type or blend of personality types you are communicating with. With this challenge I will point out the key expressions or phrases that different personality types use so you can quickly recognize the personality and overcome the challenge you are facing by speaking in a similar fashion. With challenge #2 I will walk you through understanding the self-esteem level of the different personality styles. To help you overcome this challenge I will also give you self-esteem motivators for each personality. With challenge #3 I will give you the cautions to be aware of with each personality style. In challenge #4 I will include the types of vocations best suited for each personality style along with some cautions if a certain personality style is in the wrong job. For challenge #5 I’ll list out the main areas of improvement for each personality style. During challenge #6 we will go over conversations or actions that irritate or annoy the different personality styles. And for challenge #7 I’ll give you the best way to communicate with each personality style including how to adjust your tone, tempo and body language so that your words can impact the direction of the conversation to ensure you are communicating with success. The first aspect I want to cover regarding your personality style is whether your style is based more on logic or emotions. Here is a quick way to tell. Direct people and thinker/analyzers tend to be more logical in their reactions whereas social extroverts and relational tend to be more emotional in their reactions. As I list out the specific characteristics of each personality, write down or take a mental note of which ones best describe you.

THE DIRECT PERSON

Challenge 1: Personality of the Direct Person

Let’s begin with the direct person. Direct people are direct, bottom line and to the point. They are natural leaders and quick decision makers who tend to be vocal and say what is on their mind. Because they base their decisions mostly on logic, not emotions, sometimes they can come across as harsh, abrasive or insensitive to people who are not direct. Some expressions of direct people are, “it’s nothing personal, it’s just business”, or they might say “get thicker skin”, or “don’t take things so personally” or they might tell you to get to the point. Direct people are competitive and want to be the best. As a result they often times will tell you what you are doing wrong and they are hard pressed to hand out compliments as they expect you to do an excellent job and if you are not doing that, you’ll hear about it. Because of their leadership skills and decision making abilities they get things done, though they might ruffle a few feathers in the process.