Do you know who you are talking to? Look for behavioral cues

By Shawn Bakker

To communicate effectively with people sometimes requires taking into account their needs and adjusting your behavior accordingly. Personality type can be used to identify how other people are different from yourself – and give you some clues about the needs and desires of the people you work with. You can use the following behavioral cues to help identify the communication patterns others.

Extraverts – Talk about it
Talking rapidly
Thinking out loud
Interrupting
Using a loud voice

Introverts – Think about it
Pausing before answering or giving information
Speaking in short sentences
Using a quiet voice
Reflecting

Sensing – Want specifics
Asking for step-by-step information or instruction
Asking “what” and “how” questions
Using precise descriptions

Intuition – Want the big picture
Asking for the purpose
Looking for possibilities
Asking “why” questions
Talking in broad terms

Thinking – Look at logical implications
Testing you or your knowledge
Weighing the objective evidence
Comparing the pros and cons of alternatives
Checking the logic of decisions

Feeling – Look at the impact on people
Striving for harmony in the interaction
Talking about what they value
Asking how others have acted or resolved the situation
Taking other people into account

Judging – Aim for closure
Showing impatience with long descriptions, procedures
Their tone is “hurry up”
Focusing on making a decision
Enjoying closure

Perceiving – Aim for discovery
Seeming to want “space” to make own decisions
Their tone is “let’s explore,”
Making decisions at the last moment
Enjoying looking at alternatives