This blog is part two of “Taken a DiSC Assessment Lately? You and Wonder Woman Share a History” posted in June. Talk about a long break between blog entries! Let’s get to it. In part one, I shared my view that it’s unrealistic for personality assessments to claim they “improve work productivity, teamwork and communication” without the intervention of a superhero.
It’s easy to learn the right words to say. Actually looking into the eyes of a person and communicating effectively is a skill that takes time. Even HR professionals and veteran communicators can get nervous when they lead a challenging conversation. There’s no such thing as a Communication FastPass. Every person has to put in the work to become a confident and effective communicator.
Here are the top three reasons employees resist trying new communication techniques.
- Change is risky. Unless an employee is already a confident communicator, it takes courage to start using new phrases that may or may not work. If the gamble fails the staff member could accidentally invite more discussion, tough questions and maybe conflict.
- Their emotional gatekeeper says “run”! Emotions act like a gatekeeper who filters what the brain hears and decides whether it’s safe to proceed. There is no way to outsmart this automatic process if an employee’s brain says “don’t do it”.
- There’s little payoff. Unless you have a team member who welcomes personal development, it can seem like too much effort to change their communication style. It also doesn’t help the reward of greater cooperation, higher performance, etc. may not happen right away.
If you want to learn insightful details about your personality take a personality assessment. But, if you want to apply those findings and make lasting change, partner with a professional communicator to guide the way.