Videos for DISC Training and Coaching

How the DISC Model Divides into Four Behavioral Styles
The DISC Model is created by measuring behavior in two ways. The first scale divides extroverted or introverted behavior; and one of the things that goes along with this is pace. Pace relates to the quickness of the way you speak, as well as how quickly you jump into situations. Pace informs the words you choose and even the way you form sentences, and it also relates to decision-making and impulsivity. A simple way to put it might be to say that an introvert likes to think before speaking or acting, generally, and an extrovert will be more comfortable "thinking out loud," or "acting on instinct," so to speak. DISC also compares task-oriented vs. people-oriented behavior at the same time. This is about what a person is more likely to focus on in a situation: the way they like to look at things and how they will approach problem-solving. "Task-oriented" people tend to be more pragmatic and practical, focused on getting the job done; "people-oriented" people are more attuned to the feelings and interactions of the people involved, and view problems in terms of the dynamics of the team engaged in solving them. Where a person lands along these two scales shows how strongly they identify as either 'D,' 'I,' 'S,' or 'C,' and it also helps them to see how they might be influenced by or react to each of the four DISC styles.

Every Behavioral Style is Like a Different Language
In many countries, regional dialects can sometimes make it hard for two people speaking the same language to understand one another. In a way, the "languages" of the four behavioral styles of DISC are much the same. We assume that because we are using the same language, everyone understands what we're saying. But the fact is that, in a very real sense, when attempting to communicate with people of differing styles, it's not what you say - it's how you say it. We communicate through things like tone of voice, and other non-verbal signals which can be easily misinterpreted, according to the behavioral "type" of the other person. The question of whether what is picked up is projection doesn't matter - perception is in the mind of the perceiver. And if you want to communicate effectively, it is your responsibility to take a leadership role in continually monitoring that the input and output you send and receive are a match with the message intended.

Working With a Diverse Team
There is a lot of diversity in how people think, how they communicate and how they behave. In other words, everyone is not like you. The lesson from this is important and bears repeating again and again: Forgive other people for not being you. If everyone in the world thought like you, acted like you and talked like you, the world wouldn't function well at all. We need the diversity of thinking, behavior and problem-solving we find at work, at home, and everywhere around us; and if we accept this is true, we realize that we need to learn how to get along with people who are very different than us. If we want to benefit from the strengths of people who think in very different ways, we have to learn how to work as a team. And if we want to be a good team we cannot avoid the conflicts and problem behaviors that inevitably come up.

Avoidance doesn't work. You learn to communicate with a person by trying different ways of talking or interacting with them, until you get the positive response you were seeking. If you haven't done that, you haven't really tried to communicate. And until you succeed at that, you haven't communicated at all.

Our Blindspots Cause Our Miscommunications
In communication, we have to focus on the right things. When you're in a conversation with someone and trying to communicate, it's important to remember that all of us have certain blindspots that obscure or distort our perception in unpredictable ways. The blindspots causing problem behavior may be obvious to us - but you can't just tell somebody why they need to change. You'll only encounter resistance. This is a particular challenge for people of direct behavior styles: when they see something wrong that the other person is just not getting, the temptation for them is to get very direct and blunt; their controlling urges start to come out. But each behavior style has its own areas of inattentional blindness that handicap a person's ability to focus on the positive outcomes of communication and teamwork, and instead spark resistance, blame and defensiveness in the other person and themselves.

Improving Team Ecology with DISC
When you feel good about the people that you work with and the environment that you're in, it really makes a difference. A work environment that has a sound ecology - that is, where people communicate well, where teams get along, where employees feel a sense of accomplishment - gives everyone a sense of value in their work that raises productivity as a whole by substantial margins. It doesn't happen by accident, and it's a lot easier to improve on when there's already a solid foundation of teamwork and morale - to go from good to great, in other words. But a shared understanding of the principles of DISC behavioral and communication styles gives your team a new terminology to use with each other: instead of derogatory labels or loaded terms that can feel like value-judgements, your team shares a vocabulary that understands the wide variety of communication styles, and assumes the positive intent behind each person's behavior.