This document discusses communication styles and how employing and enjoying differences can help teams communicate effectively. The session objectives are to recognize differences in communication styles, identify one's own style, and develop strategies for working with those of different styles. It then explores the four main styles - Guardian, Rational, Artisan, Idealist - describes them, and provides an exercise to determine one's own style. Later, it discusses flexing one's style to communicate better with others and provides practice examples. Finally, it links these concepts to effective communication in Agile teams.

1. Communication Styles
Employing and enjoying our differences
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Agile Tour Toronto, October 29, 2013

2. PLEASE NOTE
SLIDES = PRESENTATION
• These slides are designed to be viewed
in
i conjunction with a h
j
ti
ith human b i
being
talking and interacting with you.
• They will make little sense to you if y
y
y
you
were not at the live session.
Images are my Mirek P and are copyrighted and used with permission via iStock licence

3. 7,188,908,987
This
question will
not be on
the exam

4. Own business - 10 years
Who is Sue?
NEW! Coach School
And I wrote a book
Worked
Trained/certified
Active member

5. Session Objectives
•
Recognize differences in people’s
communication styles
•
Identify your own communication style
•
Develop strategies for working with
p
g
g
people whose styles are different from
yours

6. We need to see our differences as
something other than flaws
flaws.
David Kiersey

7. Please hold
y
your
questions
until you
have one!

8. Ready
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap
Doing
Done

9. Ready
Doing
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap
Done

10. Audience Determines Meaning
• You want them to
hear the meaning
you intended
• Not the one they are
going t make up for
i to
k
f
themselves
• K
Knowing about
i
b t
styles can help

11. Conscious Communication
•
•
•
•
Know your purpose
y
g
Know your message
Know your audience
y
Know yourself
11

12. Origins
• Plato
• Carl Jung
• MBTI (Myers-Briggs)
• Temperament (Kiersey)
• Simple model

13. Guardian
Rational
Artisan
Idealist
HEART
INTUITIO
ON
EVI
IDENCE
E
HEAD

14. Ready
Doing
Done
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap

15. Guardian
G
di
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Driver: Security
Reliable
Likes structure
Follows rules
Detail i t d
D t il oriented
Values process
Hates change
>40%

16. Rational
R ti
l
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Driver: Knowledge
Inventive
Values logic
Future oriented
Goal i t d
G l oriented
Sees big picture
Strategic
<10%

17. Idealist
Id li t
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Driver: Identity
Empathetic
Avoids conflict
f
Values inspiration
Future oriented
F t
i t d
Focus on people
Feelings rule
>10%

18. Artisan
A ti
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Driver: Sensations
Spontaneous
Avoids structure
Values speed
Improvises
I
i
Action oriented
Takes risks
>40%

19. Exercise
Kathy
K th
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kathy is a commercial loans officer at the Grand Valley branch of the Halifax
Savings Bank.
She enjoys her work because making a loan requires her to gather a lot of
information about the loan applicant the business or service the customer is
applicant,
in and the activity or equipment for which the customer wants to borrow the
money.
She then gets to analyze the information, compare it to industry data and
similar lending situations.
She also looks to see if it’s a strategic fit with the long term goals of the
customer’s business or organization.
She’ll make her decision based on the logic of the case.
She takes pride in the fact that clients come to her for advice on managing
their finances and consider her a strategic partner in their long term success.

20. Exercise
Kirsti
Ki ti
•
•
•
•
•
Kirsti is a commercial loans officer at the Grand Valley branch of the Halifax
Savings Bank.
She really enjoys her work because she’s able to make things work out for
her customers – especially when they have a short term need
need.
Though it took her ages to learn, she knows the lending process thoroughly
– and that lets her quickly know whether the customer’s situation is standard
– and if it’s not, what measures she can take to structure the deal so it will
it s
work for everyone.
She doesn’t take crazy chances – but if the evidence suggests a good
likelihood of repayment – even if the client or the situation is quite unusual,
she’ll find an innovative way to make it work.
She takes pride in the fact that clients come to her with creative ideas and
she can help them bring those ideas into reality.

21. Exercise
Kostya
K t
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kostya is a commercial loans officer at the Grand Valley branch of the
Halifax Savings Bank.
He loves his work because of the people he meets. He sees his role as
enabling them to make their dreams come true by providing the funds they
need to start and run their businesses.
He knows the work his clients do not only provides products and services
their customers need – it supports the families of their employees and
suppliers.
suppliers
He loves interviewing people about their business ideas and their future
plans.
He works to create the absolute best payback options for his clients. He
doesn’t want them to get in over their heads.
He really cares about his customers and takes pride in the fact that they
share their visions for their business with him. He feels his is a helping
profession.

22. Exercise
Ken
K
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ken is a commercial loans officer at the Grand Valley branch of the Halifax
Savings Bank.
He loves his work because there’s a process in place that’s been around as
long as there have been lenders
lenders.
He relies on the lending process to make his decisions. It took him a while to
adjust to the new automated loan system when they introduced it, last year.
He kept manual backup files for a while. But now that he’s satisfied with its
he s
reliability, he can confidently manage the risks in his clients’ business.
He loves to provide his clients with lots of details about their loan – so they
know exactly how the process works – and what their responsibilities are.
Clear data, clear instructions and clear expectations make him happy.
He takes pride in the fact that his customers rely on him to help keep their
financial affairs in order.

23. Ready
Doing
Done
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap

24. Exercise
What’s Your Style?
Using side one of the assessment
• For each question, select the one most like you
question
• Tally the As, Bs, Cs and Ds.

25. GUARDIAN
40% of
normal pop
pop.
ARTISAN
40% of
normal pop
p p
RATIONAL
10% of
normal pop
pop.
IDEALIST
10% of
normal pop.

26. Exercise
What’s Y
Wh t’ Your Style?
St l ?
1. Our style is . . .
2. Our unique contribution to the workplace is . . .
3. If you want to persuade us you should . . .
4. An aspect of our style that may bug others is . . .
p
y
y g
5. When all else fails, you can rely on us to be . . .
6.
6 Our motto is . . .

27. Ready
Doing
Done
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap

28. Flexing Your Style
• Why?
• How?

29. Exercise
Let’s Practise
•
•
•
•
Talk to Artisan style about time sheets
Talk to Rational style about re-org
re org
Talk to Idealist style about re-org
Talk to G di
T lk t Guardian style about new
t l b t
process
Flex to their style. What’s important to them?
How does it feel when you do that?

30. Exercise
Making it Real
• Prepare for a
conversation with
someone in your life
IMAGINE
YOUR
PICTURE
HERE

31. Ready
Doing
Done
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap

32. Exercise
Link to Agile Teams
• What does it mean?
• Why does it matter?

33. Ready
Doing
Done
Explore the theory
Meet the characters
Discover your style
Flex your style
Wrap

34. I note the obvious diff
h b i
differences
between each sort and type
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike
unalike.
Maya Angelou

35. Questions?
http://itsunderstood.com
itsunderstood

36. If a man does not keep pace with
his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a d e e
e ea s different
drummer. Let him step to the music
,
which he hears, however
measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau
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