{"id":11717,"date":"2023-09-04T09:03:25","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T09:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/?p=11717"},"modified":"2023-09-06T20:00:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T20:00:04","slug":"identify-disc-behavioral-styles-on-the-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/identify-disc-behavioral-styles-on-the-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Identify DISC Behavioral Styles on The Phone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published with Permission from Assessments 24\/7.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Logo
Assessments 24-7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a Monday blog series; our regular <\/em>coaching<\/em> blog will be published on Thursday\u2019s.<\/em><\/p>\n

This blog series has explained the DISC<\/a> styles, explored strengths and challenges, goals and fears, and reviewed how to identify style in person.\u00a0 Now identifying style on the phone is explained.<\/p>\n

Dominance \u2013 High \u201cD\u201d Style<\/strong><\/p>\n

When speaking on the phone to a Dominance Style, treat her the same way as an in-person contact. Think of the ABC\u2019s: Keep it abridged, brief, and concise. Prepare your delivery with the bottom line in mind: \u201cThe trend in your industry is toward computer-generated graphics. The research we\u2019ve conducted with other typesetters in your area indicates increased profits of 20 to 30% over two years. I\u2019d like to meet with you for 10 minutes to show you the numbers and see if this concept interests you.\u201d<\/p>\n

THEY WASTE NO TIME
\nIt\u2019s not unusual for a Dominance Style to call someone and, without saying hello, launch right into the conversation. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding; the shipment delay will kill us . . . by the way, this is Jack.\u201d When other people can\u2019t keep up with them, or misread their cues and language, they may view them as incompetent.<\/p>\n

On the telephone, it\u2019s helpful to determine whether the person sends power signals. Dominance Styles want to pick the time and place to meet. They often speak in a sort of shorthand \u2013 concisely and pointedly, sometimes with few words \u2013 and sound cool, confident, and demanding. When Dominance Style Dennis phones, he says: \u201cJanice? Dennis. Tony there?\u201d Talking to him may feel like speaking to a machine or voice recognition system. The D style raises the concept of \u201cbrief and to-the-point\u201d to another level. As commanding speakers who tend not to listen to others, they naturally want to direct the conversation toward their goals. Under stress, they can become defensive and aggressive, attacking others personally to show who\u2019s in control. They dislike using touchy-feely, emotional terms, and prefer sensible thinking terminology. \u201cI think we\u2019ll implement this plan tomorrow,\u201d or, \u201cI think this discussion is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Influence \u2013 High \u201cI\u201d Style<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d are the usual Influence Style opening lines. They are sometimes so animated that their gestures can be transmitted via the phone lines by their varied, emotional vocal inflections\/intonations and their colorful choice of words that may tend toward exaggeration: \u201cReally? That\u2019s fantastic!\u201d or \u201cYou have to be kidding me!\u201d The phone can be a favorite toy that enables them to both prolong conversations and recharge themselves, especially when no one else is physically around. \u201cI just called because I\u2019m bored.\u201d You may also detect background noise when you speak to individuals of this style. They sometimes put on the TV or radio just for the sound, visual stimulation, and activity. On the phone, Influence Styles speak rapidly and emotively. They are known to use \u201cfeeling\u201d terms, rather than \u201cthinking\u201d terms like, \u201cI feel that if we go through with this plan, the community will resent us as anti-environmentalists,\u201d or, \u201cI feel that I\u2019ve contributed enough to this organization over the years to allow me to talk about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

SAY IT WITH FEELING
\nTypically, you\u2019ll notice a wide range of vocal inflection and intonation and a tendency to want to know your reaction. The I style will ask, \u201cDo you feel that way, too?\u201d They liven up conversations with personal anecdotes and may keep you on the phone longer than you had anticipated. If you need to detach yourself from an extended monologue, try something like, \u201cWell, Don, it\u2019s been great talking with you. I\u2019m really looking forward to our appointment on Monday!\u201d If you say it with feeling, the Influence Style may already eagerly anticipate your meeting.<\/p>\n

Steadiness \u2013 High \u201cS\u201d Style<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you?\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear from you again,\u201d are typical Steadiness Style greetings. Like holiday ads from your favorite companies, their warmth can seem to transcend the limitations of the phone lines. Although they prefer more personal interactions with people, they will also settle for indirect contact \u2013 especially if the person is pleasant and non-threatening. They project this people-orientation easily, even by phone, and like to build a personal, first-name relationship with callers. Even if they don\u2019t know you, they may say, \u201d Just call me Alice.\u201d They may project a desire to know you personally or provide you with excellent service. They communicate with even vocal intonations to convey friendliness, comfort, and a sense of relaxation. Steadiness Styles tend to be naturals at listening to others\u2019 ideas and feelings, whether on the phone or in person. They tend to be interested in the detailed, point-by-point description of what you did yesterday or the sequential pattern of how to complete a particular task. You\u2019re probably talking to a high Steadiness Style if you notice warmth and genuine conversation, slower than average speech patterns, more moments of listening than of speaking, and references to actual, real-life experiences regarding either products or mutual acquaintances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019LL CHECK ON THAT FOR YOU\u201d
\nSteadiness Styles tend to express themselves in a somewhat tentative manner in both their face-to-face and telephone conversations. Even when confident with the answer, they will often attempt to get other perspectives before making a final decision. You\u2019ll hear things like, \u201cI\u2019ll need to consult Mrs. Adams before I can make that decision,\u201d or, \u201cI\u2019m not sure we can do that, but I\u2019ll get back to you as soon as I find out.\u201d As in other aspects of their lives, they often defer to the more human, proven way things have always been done. They typically feel more comfortable making decisions based on conferring with others rather than by themselves. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d, \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d, and \u201cWhat do you recommend?\u201d are all common questions this style will likely ask.<\/p>\n

Conscientiousness \u2013 High \u201cC\u201d Style<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Mr. Loomis. This is Jonathan Williams. You asked me to call back on Monday.\u201d Formal greetings are one tip-off that you may be dealing with a Conscientiousness Style. Time-conscious individuals of this type often get to a task exactly when they say they will. Monday morning it is! In this example, the Conscientiousness Style<\/a> also calls himself Jonathan, not Jon. Many people with this style call themselves by their given names, not by nicknames. It\u2019s Elizabeth, Rebecca, Donald, and Peter, not Beth, Becca, Don, or Pete. Of course, there are exceptions; Jon may prove to be an effective and logical alternative for some Conscientiousness Styles, but this type seems less likely to tolerate what they perceive as \u201ccute\u201d nicknames, such as Jonny, Donny, or Becky. Remember, formality is more in alignment with this style.<\/p>\n

\u201cMAY I SPEAK WITH MR. HOLMES OR DR. BROTHERS?\u201d
\nHigh C styles prefer brief, to-the-point telephone calls. Although they may not tell you, call them Mister or Ms. or Doctor, whatever their title happens to be, to build quick rapport. Conscientiousness Styles sometimes view jumping into a first-name basis as an invasion of privacy, so they deal with others more formally. If you think you\u2019re talking to Sherlock Holmes or Bill Gates, chances are you\u2019ve contacted a Conscientiousness Style. They typically hold their ground in stressful situations when they can maintain their position with concrete facts or evidence-based questions. They do this quietly and independently, by first avoiding others. Then they take on the problem in an orderly way, backed by research and relevant details.<\/p>\n

\u201cNEED TO KNOW\u201d BASIS
\nThey\u2019re inclined to talk in structured, careful speech patterns, almost weighing their words as they say them. They tend to ask relevant questions and talk in a quiet, observant, and cautious way. Additionally, they may not volunteer much about their personal lives beyond the equivalent of name, rank, and serial number like, \u201cI\u2019m married with two children. We live in New York.\u201d They prefer to keep the relationship formal, yet pleasant and business-like. Less can be more to a Conscientiousness Style \u2013 less conversation, less self-disclosure, and less verbal communication equal more comfort zone. Longer than average silences, especially when asked more private questions, may signal annoyance or reluctance. When this occurs, ask, \u201cAm I getting too personal?\u201d or \u201cIf I\u2019m asking uncomfortable questions, could you let me know?\u201d They may relax more if they think they have an out. Careful and correct, Conscientiousness Styles tend to express themselves in a somewhat tentative manner. \u201cI\u2019ll check on that and let you know tomorrow.\u201d They may want to provide you with information so you can form your own conclusions. \u201cI have a copy of the Governor\u2019s report in my files. If I send it to you, perhaps you can find what you\u2019re looking for.\u201d Both of these approaches satisfy the Conscientiousness Styles\u2019 need for caution and correctness. They may not want to get misquoted or, possibly, involved in the first place.<\/p>\n

In the next blog identifying styles based on writing is explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published with Permission from Assessments 24\/7. This is a Monday blog series; our regular coaching blog will be published on Thursday\u2019s. This blog series has … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[470,471,40],"tags":[352,1807,50,1709,1017,2382,1707,2381,1050,1708,1706],"class_list":["post-11717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coaching-resources","category-coaching-skills","category-tools-and-techniques","tag-assessments","tag-assessments-24-7","tag-coaching","tag-conscientiousness","tag-disc","tag-disc-styles","tag-dominance","tag-identify-disc-behavioral-styles-on-the-phone","tag-influence","tag-steadiness","tag-styles","latest_post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11717"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11848,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11717\/revisions\/11848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coachcert.com\/coachingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}