The ability to communicate effectively is vital to success in life, both at home and in the workplace. Effective communication requires the ability to convey information verbally or in writing clearly and concisely so that your audience—whether it’s an individual, a roomful of people, or a faceless and nameless audience of thousands—absorbs and understands what you say or write.
Millions of dollars are spent each year trying to make us more effective communicators. Businesses engage employees at all levels, from C-suite executives to frontline staff, in programs designed to boost the ability of managers, colleagues, and staff to listen actively, speak more concisely, empathize, and pay attention to various verbal and non-verbal ways of communicating (gestures, eye contact, etc.)—all of which are deemed essential for workplace success.
On the personal front, couples, families, and individuals seek advice from counselors and other medical professionals on how they can improve their relationships at home, in social settings, and romantically by being better communicators and listeners.
There are even communication skills tests designed to identify our personality traits and the best ways for us to communicate with others, and for others to communicate with us.
THERE’S A TEST FOR THAT
One such test is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory assessment which is based on the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who conceived that the personality types of people and how they use perception and judgment determine how they best learn and communicate with others. The theory goes something like this: if you know how the person (or persons) you are trying to communicate with absorbs and processes information you can optimize how you communicate with that person to maximize effectiveness.
Another test is the DISC Personal Assessment, which is used primarily by businesses for purposes of understanding and adapting to individual and team behaviors within a work group, a sales relationship, a leadership position, or some other relationships to improve performance and effectiveness. DISC stands for “Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness,” the four main categories of behavior types the assessment looks at.
With the MBTI and DISC (and similar other assessments), you’ll be able to explore certain traits and tendencies so that you can alter your approach or tactic for connecting with people:
- Are they more detail oriented or are they interested in the big picture only?
- Do they like to get to the point or do they want to take a deeper dive into the details?
- Does the personality type prefer collaboration over working independently?
- Are they more likely to respond enthusiastic language or to calm, supportive tones?
MAKE IT PERSONAL
You may be wondering how knowing more about personality types can help you communicate more effectively with your brand audience. It’s really quite simple.
Consider your brand’s target audience—you know, the demographic to which you target your marketing and communications efforts. This could be as broadly defined as “females, married, age 35 to 64, with disposable income,” or as narrowly focused as “single males, ages 21 to 30, professionals, with incomes greater than $75K/year, living in an urban environment.”
Knowing your target audience allows you to develop a personality profile for that particular “persona.” Then you can use a personality assessment tool such as the MBTI, DISC, or others (there are many online assessments available) to better understand how you can adapt your messaging to communicate with that target more effectively.
- How does the personality type best receive and process information?
- Are they visual or verbal learners?
- What kind of calls to action are they most likely to respond to?
- Do they like lots of details or just the pertinent facts?
- What kind of non-verbal cues are most effective with their type?
By identifying your target audience’s overarching personality type, you can go from having frustrating, awkward conversations with your brand audience—conversations that never quite seem to deliver the results you desire—to being better able to “speak their language” so you can make more productive connections that boost communication effectiveness, conversions, and bottom line results.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Let Barrel O’ Monkeyz provide a free assessment of your current online presence and/or inbound marketing strategy to help you answer the question, “Is my brand set-up for success?”
You can also check out Barrel O’Monkeyz white papers on a range of topics, from inbound marketing and website development, to digital marketing, brand development, and design. Each white paper is full of ideas and steps you need to take to turn your ideas into reality.
LET’S GET CREATIVE
Barrel O’Monkeyz is a San Diego-based strategic marketing agency specializing in Sports and Active Lifestyle markets. We serve as a seasoned, outsourced marketing team for companies looking to ramp up sales and launch new products. Our barrel is full of talent and creative arms ready to prove we don’t just monkey around!Contact Barrel O’Monkeyz Today To Explore Ways You Can Communicate More Effectively with Your Brand Fans
