This model for understanding behavior separates people into categories based on their main communication style: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. There is some overlap. You may recognize yourself in more than one of the four groups when you listen to the descriptions on the podcast. These aren’t simply personality types. You can actually learn to communicate in any of these styles to meet the needs of whoever you are interacting with.

The DISC method can be applied to your personal life and your work life. Paula shares that she even had her husband-to-be take the assessment test. That’s one innovative way to ensure good communication and compatibility in your marriage! For organizations, DISC training can be integrated with any existing training program. Every company can benefit from better communication on many fronts:

• Manager to employee

• Employee to customer

• Coworker to coworker

• Department to Department

• Company to Supplier

Reducing conflict and increasing productivity - these are the natural results of implementing the tools you learn through the DISC program. When you can easily recognize other people’s communication styles, you can choose to be flexible and meet their needs. Switzer points out one practical real life application - sales professionals do this when they shift the tone and focus of their “pitch” to connect with a client.

No, even though the original idea was created many decades ago, it is being constantly updated. Paula does mention that not all publishers of this public domain material take care to keep up with the latest advances. This means you need to be selective about which program you buy. Look for assessment/training modules that are targeted for your needs. For more information about how to use behavior assessment tools to improve company performance, check out the full podcast.

The author, Brenda Perkins, CEBS is Co-founder of HRBrainBank.com, a website devoted to human resources management practice. Brenda’s expertise comes from creating and building three unique businesses, all of which serve the human resources profession. The unique blend of her experiences and talents allows her to see problems and solutions that are often not clear to the individuals she works with. Brenda has co-authored four books: Employee Communications 101; How to Produce Benefit Statements (such as employee benefit communication) Outsource Guide (to help you select the best vendor for communication to employees); and 9 Critical Elements to Guarantee Your Boss’ Approval. She has also co-produced several healthcare education videos with an emphasis on hsa products.